October 14, 2011
Question: A client insists that they never created a LinkedIn profile yet they have one that appears in search engine results with a link like… https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=12345678
Not sure how this could happen (other than your contacts uploading your information upon their LinkedIn registration).
The question is: how do you contact LinkedIn to request that this information be removed seeing as you don’t have an account with them? Your insight is much appreciated! –Natasha
Answer: Hi Natasha! I often hear from people who INSIST they never created a LinkedIn profile yet there one sits with their name on it. Most likely what occurred is that the person received an invitation to join LinkedIn from a friend/relative/colleague. The link in the invite was clicked and the person inadvertently created a LinkedIn account. They may not even be aware of it!
My suggestion is to first attempt to close the account without getting LinkedIn involved. Here are the steps:
1. Attempt to log in to LinkedIn using your typical email address and password. If you can’t get in, choose Forgot Password. If you get an alert that the email address is incorrect, keep trying with alternate email addresses you use.
2. Check your inbox. Look for an email to reset your password and follow the directions. If you were not able to get in with an email address, you will have to contact LinkedIn… skip to Part 2.
3. Log in to the account with your new password.
4. Click your name in the right hand corner > Settings > Account > Close Account.
VOILA! That extraneous account is gone!
If all else fails, contact LinkedIn. I have heard horror stories about LinkedIn customer support. It seems if you aren’t a paying member they aren’t very helpful. In order to get this LinkedIn profile removed in the quickest possible way, I suggest reporting the LinkedIn profile as being inappropriate.
1. Visit the “ghost” profile and click the down arrow next to the button Send a Message or Send InMail in the top section of the member’s profile.
2. If the Flag icon isn’t visible, contact LinkedIn with the following information:
3. Hopefully within a reasonable time, the profile will disappear.
I wish you the best of luck! Let me know how it goes.
–Donna
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Donna, that was the sweetest thing ever! And you emailed personally to let me know about the post too. Thank you for your attention to detail and overwhelming courtesy. Enjoy the weekend!
Always happy to help, Natasha! –Donna
Hello Donna,
I have a Linked In account set up by someone ..unknown.
I’m happy with the endorsements people have added and connections.
However I have never been associated with or met Sarah Clark Photography and would like that removed from my profile please. is this possible?
Regards Virginia
I ask my self why did I create a account in linkedin , what am I going to get out of it.
I get to see some friends & see their resume.. what they did in their career. If I hate someone i can see where they are working. Am I going to get a better job because im in linkedin ? no.
everyone can see it, but is none of their business. I’m in there and rarely go to see it.
I found a friend and wasn’t able to email them, they wanted me to pay. I saw some friends writing articles. Facebook is more for that. Facebook is a place employers go to see what their employee’s are like. When I signed up for Facebook I thought it was worthless, until I saw my high school buddies, saw my family, made new friends, im in the stock group now reading up on new things. but this is not linkedin. I don’t see how you could invest in stock for something so worthless as I see it. I would never pay a penny for the service or know what good it would be for the future. It’s not monster.com where you can find a job.
I had a LinkedIn account with some accidental incorrect put in my profile, by a family member trying to be helpful, but had a difficult job getting my account closed…however I managed it…this was ages ago and I would have to go through a huge rigmarole to repeat the process. I also was never given a password…so never really actually used the account, but would receive contacts from people wanting to connect with me.
However what I wanted to do was to later on put a fresh profile on LinkedIn as I noticed that there were people I would have liked to connect with for potential work…which I wanted to do and although I had not got as far as getting a password organised, because I had a couple of deaths in my family last year…I found that yet again the same thing has happened and people are seeing my profile, which is still incorrect…wanting to make contact.
My problem is I get emails from you wanted me to get a password so I can make contact with these people, but I am really nervous of activating an incorrect profile, which I don’t want and so I’ve given up the idea of changing my incorrect profile and would just like whatever details LinkedIn have of me and my account removed and closed down…any advice welcome.
But I do not want to create a password for an account I do not want in order to close it down!
Dear Donna,
When I add linkedin contacts, somebody else to whom I sent an invitation a long time ago is notified by email that I have added contacts, including pictures and names. I find that very irritating. If I add a contact, no third person should be informed about that. Is there any way to prevent that?
Thank you very much,
Florian
I found I had an account with my work email that I didn’t sign up to, when I looked into it I realised that LinkedIn asks to synchronise your contacts and if you say yes it created an account for all my contacts that didn’t have an account and linked them to me. This was a few years ago and I’m not sure it still is an issue, I now say no after complaints from friends who were auto signed up to LinkedIn based on this.
Somehow I have a LinkedIn account, and while going through my bank statements I find I’m being charged $59.99 a month. Please cancel and return my funds, thank you.
I used to have Linked in account but long time ago, but because it was not helpful to me I have closed account, but after some time I have found that Linked in advertising me as ‘hospitality professional’ and account has my old details with my old personal info. My friend tried to report it as I do not have account and I can’t close it.
So please somebody let me know how to contact Linked in without account?