Professionally Catfished!!

We live in an era where a clear bifurcation is given to different platforms dedicated to its own purpose. While professional connection forums are supposedly used to expand your connections and your ambit of knowledge, some are contaminating it’s sanctity by turning it into a dating app. We investigate further to share experiences and analysis.

Losing  her trust on the portal is Raina Joseph, a student she says,” Fresh out of college and everyone advised me to get on this professional platform. They assured that I’ll find a job in no time, my dream job is up there and a lot more. And so I did! I did get up there and go all professional. But it was clearly not what I expected. Three such experiences occurred, but this one cracked me up and sort of scared me the most. A man my father’s age just sends me a request and I accept because why not, he’s old, he’s experienced and he might know a lot of people.

Turns out he was the poster child of a perfect stalker. When I stopped talking to him, rather avoided and then blocked him on this app he had the nerve to track me down on a famous social media platform and message me everyday till I found him creeping around in the filtered messages section and I blocked him.  Hook, line and sinker! So much for getting onto a professional network.”

Raina Joseph

Vinod Arora, HR manager at a reputed firm, raised this issue on his account on one such portal which got several women sharing their experiences. He says, “Being into digital era is definitely a boom for all the professionals but unlike every pros it has a con as well. Professional networks are being used to break privacy and getting a platform for online stalking. Not because people do not understand but because they do not know which platform to be used and how. Maybe lack of awareness or lack of knowledge. However, a lot still exists which is mentally sick and do not need any platform to show their sickness. The best possible way is to name and shame them publically especially their higher management if possible. I am sure once world is aware the count of such folks shall go down drastically.”

Laxmi Krishna a fashion designer, “I have previously worked in the United Kingdom and my profile obviously looked very promising. I joined the HR department in a reputed software firm, as I was given the responsibility to hire candidates, I had posts of job vacancies on my account. One person shared his CV with just the perfect information and experience required, it seemed too good to be true. Since he fit the role I fixed an appointment with him to meet me in my office, but he kept dodging a one-on-one meeting. Eventually, another candidate applied for the same role and he had worked in the same organisation as this imposter. So I enquired his contact details and later we found out that this guy hadn’t worked in the organisation and his whole CV was a lie. We somehow caught hold of him and asked what he was upto and he later confessed that he wanted to get personal and closer to me so he can misuse my connections to get to the United Kingdom.”

Vinod Arora

With a career as a model for Vanishree Bhat such platforms are how she can get gigs but she shares the dark side, “Several people randomly add me and message me relentlessly, and if I do not respond they get verbally abusive. I’ve got inappropriate messages from many people hiding behind respectable job titles. And also, it is can be sensitive on this professional platform as people get your full name on caller identification apps and start stalking your profile on this forum. The easiest and most dignified way to handle it is by blocking them. No point in getting into a dialogue with strangers.”