Recent Spam

SPARTAN sui · 11-27-2016, 03:18 PM

I've been noticing a lot of spam accounts and threads lately, have you guys (mods/admins) discussed measures to prevent them from getting through? I know some forums require you to have x amount of posts before you can create a thread or they have a simple question you have to answer in order to create an account. Such as "what is 2+2?"

Just a suggestion!

*DGthe3* · 11-27-2016, 04:52 PM

We do have a filter question in place, but its very easy to get around.

As for preventing new members from making new threads, its my own personal opinion that this would do more harm to the site than good. A lot of the spam, maybe even most over the last couple years, is done by replying to an existing thread. Preventing new members from making new threads does nothing to stop that. Meanwhile, actual new members that sign up specifically because they have a question will be running around the board, spamming existing threads to hit their post quota ... or simply say 'screw this' and go somewhere else. I don't like either one of those options. And as I said before, there is nothing that stops a spammer from posting in an existing thread anyway.

So on the whole, I don't see much that would be gained by instituting a restriction on making new threads but there are some obvious downsides.

If you see spam, report it & we'll deal with it. In my experience, spammers come in waves. One particular style of spammer will show up for a couple weeks then disappear. Right now, we seem to have one that likes sports streaming. When they go away, the one that sells knockoff electronics or counterfeit passports might swing by. And they could be followed by the sneaky spammers that embed a hidden link in a post thats coppied from earlier in the thread (these guys can be spotted when looking at the user details: 4 posts, from the uk, drives a bmw, and usually some sort of random keyboard smash of a name like 'asdfuyio').

See any of it, and report it. Banning spammers is one of the only fun parts of being a moderator.

90503 · 11-27-2016, 09:04 PM

Not to prevent new members from starting threads, but some tips in the video would be helpful...lol..

SPARTAN sui · 11-27-2016, 10:53 PM

Thanks for the insight DGthe3. I will report what I see.

And lol at that video. Classic.

11-27-2016, 03:18 PM	#1
SPARTAN sui PC Technician Drives: 2016 Hyper Blue 2SS Join Date: May 2012 Location: North Dakota Posts: 2,161	Recent Spam I've been noticing a lot of spam accounts and threads lately, have you guys (mods/admins) discussed measures to prevent them from getting through? I know some forums require you to have x amount of posts before you can create a thread or they have a simple question you have to answer in order to create an account. Such as "what is 2+2?" Just a suggestion! __________________

11-27-2016, 04:52 PM	#2
DGthe3 Moderator.ca Drives: 05 Grand Am GT Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Niagara, Canada Posts: 25,372	We do have a filter question in place, but its very easy to get around. As for preventing new members from making new threads, its my own personal opinion that this would do more harm to the site than good. A lot of the spam, maybe even most over the last couple years, is done by replying to an existing thread. Preventing new members from making new threads does nothing to stop that. Meanwhile, actual new members that sign up specifically because they have a question will be running around the board, spamming existing threads to hit their post quota ... or simply say 'screw this' and go somewhere else. I don't like either one of those options. And as I said before, there is nothing that stops a spammer from posting in an existing thread anyway. So on the whole, I don't see much that would be gained by instituting a restriction on making new threads but there are some obvious downsides. If you see spam, report it & we'll deal with it. In my experience, spammers come in waves. One particular style of spammer will show up for a couple weeks then disappear. Right now, we seem to have one that likes sports streaming. When they go away, the one that sells knockoff electronics or counterfeit passports might swing by. And they could be followed by the sneaky spammers that embed a hidden link in a post thats coppied from earlier in the thread (these guys can be spotted when looking at the user details: 4 posts, from the uk, drives a bmw, and usually some sort of random keyboard smash of a name like 'asdfuyio'). See any of it, and report it. Banning spammers is one of the only fun parts of being a moderator. __________________ Note, if I've gotten any facts wrong in the above, just ignore any points I made with them __________________ Originally Posted by FbodFather My sister's dentist's brother's cousin's housekeeper's dog-breeder's nephew sells coffee filters to the company that provides coffee to General Motors...... ........and HE WOULD KNOW!!!! __________________ Camaro Fest sub-forum

11-27-2016, 10:53 PM	#4
SPARTAN sui PC Technician Drives: 2016 Hyper Blue 2SS Join Date: May 2012 Location: North Dakota Posts: 2,161	Thanks for the insight DGthe3. I will report what I see. And lol at that video. Classic. __________________