The 7 Red Flags Everyone Missed on LinkedIn Today

Today morning I just opened LinkedIn. Just wanted to scroll, check a few posts, see what others are doing.

Then I saw this post.

A guy — verified profile, decent-looking DP, some fancy words in his bio. Says he’s giving everyone a referral to a Y Combinator startup.

At first glance, looks legit, right?

But Something Felt Off — Here’s Why…

I mean, this was not a referral form or a company’s careers page or even a Google Form. It’s just….

Drop your email publicly in the comments…. That’s it.

No company name. No job role description, not even a "deadline" that looks professional. Just hype and a bait.

And the moment I saw the post blow up — likes, comments, reposts — it clicked. People aren’t verifying. They’re reacting..

Now think like an attacker for a second…..

Why send phishing mails to a billion random users on LinkedIn...
...when you can just post one fake internship opportunity and let the targets come to you?

You’re not just getting email IDs. You’re getting….

• Their LinkedIn profiles (fully public).

• Their work history.

• Their location.

The exact type of desperation they have — fresher? job switch? ML intern?

Look like Desperation Is the New Attack Vector

Bro, who does that in 2025?

I’m not saying the guy’s fake — could be real. But let’s be honest. This post is basically a magnet for desperate job seekers.

And here’s where things get interesting.….

LinkedIn’s algorithm promotes this stuff.
More likes = more reach.
More comments = more social proof.
More reposts = more credibility.

All of that without LinkedIn even flagging it.

It’s like… phishing-as-a-service…

If you’re a scammer today, you don’t need to hack databases or brute force passwords.

You just need to post something that triggers hope in people — hope for a job, for a visa, for a salary, for something better. That’s it.

People will comment their emails without a second thought.

I Decided to dig in a little bit more…

Not because I had something personal against the guy who posted it (again, not naming him). In fact, I’m sure he’s not the only one doing this.

I did it because I saw the comments.

Dropping personal Gmail IDs like free…
Because the idea of a YC-tagged internship, remote work + free housing — that feels real enough to suspend your doubt.

But here’s what I found when I pulled the threads….

Red Flag #1: The Domain Was Off. Way Off.

He claimed to represent a YC startup. But the email?

somethingxzynewsletter.com

Not even a clean company domain. Just a newsletter-sounding alias that screams “not official.”

Now tell me….

Would a real YC-backed startup ever use a domain like this?
(YC startups get 500K in funding, bro.)

Most legit YC companies have crisp domains — think @getmerlin.ai, @heyday.xyz, or even @ycombinator.com.

Red Flag #2: YC Was Name-Dropped — Without Any Real Link

He mentioned “Y Combinator” like 5 times. But guess what?

No links. No references. No job board listings. Nothing official.

I cross-checked with YC’s own job board.
No company by that name. No role that matched. Zero trace.

Red Flag #3: The Comments Were a Goldmine — For Scammers

Over 1,000+ emails. In one thread. In plain sight.

To a scammer, that’s not a comment section.
That’s a live, unfiltered, self-updating lead list.

These emails can be:

Sold for phishing

Targeted with fake HR scams

Used to train bots that mimic real users and bait others
No breach needed. You gave it all…

Red Flag #4: The Language Was... Off

“Brows point to those who report”
“Comment your mail to get blessed”

Seriously?

If you’re going to fake being a legit startup founder, at least run your post through Grammarly.
This sounded like it was translated twice on Google Translate and pasted as-is.

Red Flag #5: "Hiring Next Week" Urgency…

No YC startup hires interns overnight.
There’s vetting, interviews, calls — actual process.

This “one-week only” urgency? Pure loss aversion bait.

You think…

If I don’t comment now, I might miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

That’s the hook.
You become the product.

LinkedIn isn’t just a career tool anymore.

It’s an attack surface.

And if you’re the kind of person who clicks fast and comments faster, without checking sources...

Then sorry to say, you’re not applying for a job. You are the job.