Something suspicious is going on with LinkedIn invitations. I’ve had about 5 of these invitations with the exact same text, but different profiles and photos:
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/alina-ilona-1024x447.png)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2-invitations-1024x569.png)
The photos can be reverse-image search traced to other LinkedIn profiles with different names or pages from other people on the web.
The text opens with, “hi {name}, I am from Ukraine, just wanted to contact you and be in touch, maybe we could work together in the future.”
This was previously noticed by @larsjuhljensen: https://twitter.com/larsjuhljensen/status/1552164872485572608
The images from profiles are typically also found on other sites.
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/temy-1024x948.png)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-1024x249.png)
Liubov, or Sophia?
Who is the imposter in this case? (Recall “Liubov” from the first image.)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-1-1024x775.png)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/li-invite-sus-ru-domain-2-914x1024.png)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/source-for-2-858x1024.png)
Kate, or Anna?
Below is another instance of the same type of profile, where the user’s image appears on another site with a different name.
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/anna-is-Kate-1024x762.png)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/anna-1024x560.png)
![](https://brianbien.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-2-1024x560.png)
Possible Explanations
It’s too early to draw any conclusions, but I’d be curious if others have ideas.
Some commonalities include:
- use of the Ukraine flag as a background
- profile sources somehow being connected with Moscow
- copied invitation text and About text in the profile
- a company mismatch in the profile
I’ve reached out to a couple people from this investigation and am waiting for replies.