What do you just think and how do you guys verify someone is legit, say if you want to collaborate/invest in their project?
You just simply don't trust random people online. I personally would probably never collaborate or invest in someone's project unless I haven't physically met the person, unless that person is actually decently known online and actually has a good reputation.
Also, LinkedIn is pretty much like any other social media site in terms of creating an account. Hence, also easily faked. Don't know why people think LinkeIn is such a big deal. If anything, I'd probably take GitHub contributions and stars a lot more seriously than LinkedIn connections.
Indeed, because you don't know their real intentions which means you can't literally assure that they are trustworthy. You don't know people's perception particularly when it comes to money that's why you can just believe their words and promises since there is a huge possibility that they are just taking advantage of that opportunity to deceive you to get the benefits they wanted. You can do some exploration to determine if it's worth it and profitable, you have to consider a lot of things before making decision on your investment. You have to analyze every situation to avoid falling into someone's trick, it usually happens these days where newbies tend to trust someone with their money without even thinking the possible outcomes of their decision that's why we have to be cautious.