Have you tried logging into your LinkedIn account only to find that your account has been restricted? This can happen from time to time and you could be asked to upload your ID to verify your identity. At this point, you’ve probably started raising questions like “Why has this happened?”, “Has someone tried to hack into my LinkedIn account?”, “has it been deleted and gone forever?”
No need to worry and this problem can be fixed!
In this blog post, you will find a lot of valuable information that will help you to better understand the rules of using LinkedIn and how to deal with the required ID verification.
LinkedIn restriction notification
The message you see in the picture below is the same as the one you will receive when you try to log into your LinkedIn account that’s been restricted. However, there’s no need to worry about LinkedIn asking for verification. We can assure you it’s safe to press the “Verify your identity” button and proceed to the next page.
Once you press the button, LinkedIn will ask you to choose the type of identification document to upload a copy of it to the site. There is nothing to worry about, this verification process is not a phishing scam or data leak to third parties. If everything works well and LinkedIn approves your document, the restriction will be lifted the next day and you will be notified through email to reset your password.
Why was your profile restricted and what has been done from Linkedin’s side?
A temporary restriction might have been placed on your account because LinkedIn detected suspicious activity and the restriction prevented all access to your account as LinkedIn reviewed the issue. Once the restriction is removed from your account, LinkedIn will sign you out of your account from every computer or mobile device that the account has been accessed on and will send a password reset link to the email address that’s listed on your account.
It’s important to note that there are a few scenarios that could explain the restriction of your account:
- If you’ve recently signed into your account from a public computer or a shared device at your workplace or home and didn’t completely sign out of your account, the next person to access the site on that device may have unintentionally signed into your account.
- If an email or phone registered to your account is outdated and access to the email or phone has been recycled or compromised.
- If the same password is used on multiple websites, this could have been compromised through unaffiliated sites or a phishing attack.
- If you’re using virtual assistant services or an agency to help you manage your LinkedIn account, logging in from a different location might trigger the restriction of your account as LinkedIn wanted to make sure this is not an attempt to hack your account.
It’s recommended that the following practices are employed for your online privacy and to prevent future LinkedIn account restrictions from occurring:
1. Check the email addresses on your account to ensure they are current
2. Turn on two-step verification as an added layer of security
3. Change your password every few months and follow these password creation rules to lessen the probability of your account being hacked or regarded as suspicious:
- Don't use the same password on all the sites you visit.
- Don't use a word from the dictionary.
- Select strong passwords, with 10 or more characters, that can't easily be guessed.
- Think of a meaningful phrase, song or quote and turn it into a complex password using the first letter of each word.
- Randomly add capital letters, punctuation marks or symbols.
- Substitute numbers for letters that look similar (for example, substitute "0" for "o" or "3" for "E").
- Never give your password to others or write it down.
4. Sign out of your account after you use a publicly shared computer.
5. Manage your account information and privacy settings from your Settings & Privacy page.
6. Keep your antivirus software up to date.
What to do if the identification document is not enough?
Sometimes the guards at LinkedIn might need more proof from you to lift the restriction, meaning that the identification document you provided was not enough. In this case, you will get an email with several questions to answer. Below is an example of the answers you could use:
LinkedIn’s questions and answers:
- Have you accessed your account from another country (i.e. travelling, business trip, etc.)? Yes, I was travelling to a conference
- Have you authorized a 3rd party (assistant, virtual assistant, etc.) to access your account? No, I have been using the account myself
- Have you accessed your account through a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or Proxy Server? No, I don’t use a VPN
- Did you initiate conversations via LinkedIn Messaging with a large group or amount of connections? Yes, I’ve been contacting a lot of people from the conference I attended
- Did you send a large number of invitations? I’ve been sending around 30 invites per day when I have had time to people from the conference
- Did you make any recent updates to your profile such as your name? Yes, I’ve recently corrected my LinkedIn name from “John Jones - Managing Director” to just “John Jones”
Once you submit the answers, please allow up to 24 hours for your LinkedIn account to get back to normal. After 24 hours, you can try logging into your account again.