How to spot scams like "LinkedIn Account Has Been Temporarily Restricted"

What is "LinkedIn Account Has Been Temporarily Restricted" scam?

Our analysis has revealed that this is a phishing email masquerading as a LinkedIn verification message. It claims that recipients have to use the provided link to resolve the issue that supposedly occurred. However, the purpose of this scam is to trick recipients into sharing personal information. Falling for it can lead to account hijacking.

More about the "LinkedIn Account Has Been Temporarily Restricted" scam email

This scam email claims that the recipient's LinkedIn account has been temporarily restricted because of unusual activity. It urges the recipient to verify their account using a provided link (labeled "Verify Account") and warns that the link will expire in 24 hours. During our examination, the provided website was down.

However, scam emails like this one usually direct users to fake websites designed to steal login credentials (usually email addresses/usernames and passwords). When users provide the requested details, those credentials go directly to cybercriminals. Scammers then use the stolen login information to hijack accounts.

They target social media, email, and other online services to gather private data, distribute malicious links, deliver harmful software, or exploit accounts in other harmful ways. Stolen account information may also be sold to other threat actors.

Because of these risks, it is essential to recognize phishing messages and avoid responding to them (or entering information on included sites).

Conclusion

This scam is a phishing attempt aimed at stealing login credentials. Falling for such scams can lead to account hijacking, identity theft, monetary loss, and other issues. Thus, recipients should recognize scam emails to avoid the associated risks, including computer infections.

Here are examples of similar scams: "Account Details Issue - Cloud Storage Email Scam", "Ethereum Powerball PowerPlay Reward Email Scam", and "Entersoft - Electronic Document Has Been Sent Email Scam".

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Malware is commonly delivered through email using infected attachments. These attachments may look like normal files, such as documents, PDFs, executables, RAR or ZIP files, scripts, etc., but can contain malware. If the file is opened and certain features (like macros) are enabled, the malware can activate and infect the device.

Emails can also include links designed to direct users to fake or hacked websites. These sites may automatically download malware or trick users into downloading and running it, leading to infection.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Keep your operating system and all programs up to date, and perform regular security scans using a reputable security tool. Be careful when browsing the internet - avoid clicking suspicious ads, pop-ups, or unknown links, and never allow notifications from untrusted websites. When downloading software, download it only from official websites or trusted app stores.

Do not download/use pirated software, cracking tools, and unofficial activation programs, as they often contain malware. Also, carefully review any unexpected or unrelated emails and messages, especially those that include attachments or links.

Text presented in the "LinkedIn Account Has Been Temporarily Restricted" email letter:

Subject: Action Required: Linkedin Access Temporarily Restricted

Linkedin

Your Linkedin account has been temporarily restricted due to unusual activity detected by our security system. To restore full access, Kindly Verify your account Below
Verify Account
This verification link will expire in 24 hours for security purposes.
2026 Linkedin. All rights reserved.

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Quick menu:

• What is LinkedIn Account Has Been Temporarily Restricted phishing email?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

These are generic messages sent to many people at once. Contact information is commonly taken from compromised databases, untrustworthy (e.g., fake) websites, or other sources.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

Change the passwords for any accounts that could be accessed by scammers. If you provided personal or financial information, contact your bank or the appropriate authorities immediately.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

Executable files can infect a device immediately, while files like PDFs or Word documents usually need extra actions to infiltrate. Overall risk depends on the file type and user behavior.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

Opening a message alone cannot compromise a system. A risk occurs only when malicious files or links are opened.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner can eliminate most malware, though some sophisticated threats may remain hidden. Running a full system scan is advised to find and remove any concealed malware.