Is a fake job posting on LinkedIn common?

LinkedIn's size and professional reputation make it an attractive platform for scammers to post convincing fake jobs. Fraudulent listings often advertise remote roles at well-known companies, request CVs and personal details that are then sold or used for identity theft, and sometimes lead to advance-fee demands for background checks or onboarding materials. Some fake jobs on LinkedIn are pig-butchering fronts that collect enough personal information to engineer targeted investment fraud. Signs of a fake posting include a recently created company page, no employee connections at the company, vague job descriptions, and above-market salaries with minimal requirements.

A fake listing costs nothing and a CV is a rich haul: address, phone number, employment history, education — enough to seed identity fraud or highly convincing follow-up scams. The more elaborate operations run fake interviews over chat, issue offer letters, and only then introduce the catch: equipment purchases from a 'preferred supplier', onboarding fees, or banking details for 'payroll setup' well before any verifiable employment exists.

Verify outward from the listing: does the company's own careers page show the role, do the recruiters' profiles have history and real connections, does the interview process involve a video call with identifiable staff? An employer that exists only inside LinkedIn messages and email threads — however polished — has not yet demonstrated it exists at all.