A growing number of hackers are targeting professionals on LinkedIn, according to security firm Symantec.
Its investigation uncovered dozens of fake accounts on the social network, across a variety of industries.
Posing as recruiters, the fake accounts allow hackers to map the networks of business professionals and gain the trust of those in them.
The security firm has worked with LinkedIn to remove all of the fake accounts it identified.
By making these connections, criminals can entice users to give up personal details, direct them to malware-laden websites and, if they can get their email addresses, launch spear-phishing campaigns - targeted emails that aim to steal personal information