144 - Do you accept every LinkedIn request?

Are you aware that when you allow someone into your network that, depending on your settings, you could potentially expose your entire network to that person?

If you intend to connect with Bitcoin sellers, or someone with no profile picture and little background information, please remove me from your connections first.

Scammers want to build your trust, then get you to send them money, promising to provide you with bitcoin, then they disappear.

Meanwhile, they are connecting with others in your network as well.

I have met and had a lot of discussions with scammers.

I've been to Nigeria twice and confronted scammers.

These aren't the big organizations that hack major companies.

They are mostly young men in their early 20s who just want to feed their families.

Nonetheless they are stealing from average people everywhere.

Not all scammers are from Nigeria, but there is a strong presence on LinkedIn.

Be mindful with whom you connect!

Dont get me wrong, I love getting to know people from all over the world, but LinkedIn is for business.

Don't connect with people whose profile is sketchy. (You do look at profiles, right?)

Scammers will not show their faces, for obvious reasons, so beware of profiles with no picture.

I always request a short video meeting, preferably on Zoom, to see who the person is and to learn more about them and their business. (I fhtey won't show their face, that's a red flag.

Do you think twice before you connect?