Opening
It started like any other day on LinkedIn. I accepted a connection request from someone with a legitimate-sounding title and a profile that seemed solid at first glance. They even wrote me a short personalized note.
I thought: okay, this could be a good networking opportunity.
What followed was a bizarre, jargon-heavy descent into resume scoring, fake optimization protocols, and a mysterious specialist who would supposedly unlock my career potential via Gmail.
The Setup
The person (we’ll call him Pascal) had a profile that appeared legit: director-level role, strategic language, and a polished summary. The conversation started typically enough: curiosity about my background, a note about job opportunities, and a question about my resume.
So far, so normal.
Then he asked if I’d heard of things like LPS, HGS, and DRT—acronyms I hadn’t encountered—and I’ve been in the industry a while. I asked what they meant. That’s when the deluge began.
The Scripted Spiral
Pascal explained that:
- LPS stands for LinkedIn Parsing System, an optimization method for resumes.
- HGS is the Hyperlink Guidance System, where your resume becomes an interactive tool.
- DRT is the Dynamic Radiant Technique designed for visibility across platforms.
It was the kind of language that sounds plausible on the surface, but dig a little deeper and… it’s fluff. Glossy, impressive-sounding fluff. And then came the pitch.
“I know a specialist who can help you. Would you like me to connect you?”
I was already skeptical, but curious. So I played along.
Enter the “Specialist”
Within minutes, I got an email from a generic Gmail account. There was no company affiliation, no credentials, just the following: “Pascal told me you need a professional LinkedIn SEO OPTIMIZATION.”
It was a textbook phishing/scam setup. They wanted me to share more personal details and eventually (I assume) pay for “optimization services” based on completely made-up standards.
And to keep the performance going, I started responding with fake acronyms of my own:
- PACS — Predictive Alignment Certainty Standard
- LFAM — LinkedIn Federated Attention Metric
- B.A.R.K. — Blockchain-Authenticated Resume Kernel
The kicker? The bot didn’t blink. It agreed with everything and claimed its specialist supported all of these.
The Wake-Up Call
This could’ve been dangerous. I’ve been online long enough to spot red flags, but this one was polished. The profile looked real. The timing of replies felt natural. The language was just techie enough to feel legit.
What if I had clicked a shady link, paid for services I didn’t need, or—worse—shared sensitive information?
What You Should Watch For
- Overuse of acronyms you’ve never heard of
- Generic follow-up messages with suspiciously fast timing
- Push to email quickly, especially from Gmail
- Offers of resume reviews with no real credentials
- Pressure to connect with third parties immediately
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn is a great platform for real networking. But as scammers become more sophisticated—sometimes even using AI tools to hold fake conversations—we have to stay sharp.
Be skeptical. Trust your instincts. And if someone starts optimizing your resume for DRT without explaining what it means, run.
Leave a Reply