LinkedIn lets verified Page admins remove fake employees from company search.
Verified Page admins can now remove imposter accounts from search under their company name, and LinkedIn is testing peer verification of work history.
LinkedIn said on 23 September that admins of a verified company Page can now remove known imposter accounts so they no longer appear in search results under the company’s name.
It is also piloting, with a selection of companies, a setting that requires workplace verification before anyone claiming current employment can associate with the Page. The details are in LinkedIn’s announcement, written by Oscar Rodriguez, its VP of Trust Product.
The same post says more than 115 million members have now verified their identity or workplace on LinkedIn, with 75 more verifying every minute, and that verified members are getting 50% more post engagement and close to 90% more profile views. LinkedIn does not say how those figures were measured or over what period.
Peer verification of work and education
LinkedIn is testing a way for members to confirm each other’s experience. Verified members are prompted to verify connections they worked or studied with, and once someone receives enough confirmations, a verification badge is added to their Profile. The member can opt out. LinkedIn has not said how many confirmations count as enough. In the coming months, members will also be able to ask their connections to verify an experience directly.
Verified on LinkedIn reaches more apps
Verified on LinkedIn, which lets members connect a verified Profile to partner platforms without verifying again, adds Truecaller and PeerSpot. They join existing partners including Adobe, TrustRadius and UserTesting. On Truecaller, people will see when someone calling or messaging them is verified on LinkedIn.
The removal tool is live now for verified Pages. The workplace verification requirement is a pilot with no wider rollout date given.
What it means for brands
Fake employee profiles are a common route into scams that use a company’s name, from bogus recruiters to impersonated sales reps, and until now a brand had little direct control over who listed it as an employer. The removal tool only works for a Page that has itself been verified, so that is the step to check first. This week, confirm your company Page is verified, then search your company name in People results and remove any accounts you know are not staff. If your team leans on founder or employee posting, the engagement figures are also a reason to get those individuals verified.
Sources
The NBK Social briefing
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