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Spammers

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  • 04-05-2012 10:57am
    #1
    eagle eye
    Registered Users Posts: 38,429 ✭✭✭✭


    I was just wondering if this problem can be sorted by having restricted access to the forums affected the most by it?

    The American football forum is being plagued by this stuff. We get soccer ones, american football ones, today we have a rugby one going on in the AF forum.

    I know we don't have a huge amount of posters in that forum but it is growing all the time. I think most of the posters there are regulars on the site and wouldn't be affected by having an access request forum.

    Also I noticed before that if I pm'd the user that it seem to halt them in their tracks for a while. Are these accounts just set up and then a bot of some sort does the spamming?
    Post edited by Shield on


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    #2
    El Weirdo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,647 ✭✭✭✭El Weirdo


    Why PM them? Do you not report the offending posts, then post in the Spammer notification thread?


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    #3
    Orion
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,807 ✭✭✭✭Orion


    Just think how many you'd have if we didn't have the Aardvaark forum :)

    Report and post in the spammer notification thread is the way forward.


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    #4
    28064212
    Registered Users Posts: 10,634 ✭✭✭✭28064212


    Also, if you use Firefox or Chrome, I've created a script to make it easier to report spammers. More info here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=77151902&postcount=1795

    Boardsie Enhancement Suite - a browser extension to make using Boards on desktop a better experience (includes full-width display, keyboard shortcuts, dark mode, and more). Now available through your browser's extension store.

    Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/addon/boardsie-enhancement-suite/

    Chrome/Edge/Opera: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/boardsie-enhancement-suit/bbgnmnfagihoohjkofdnofcfmkpdmmce



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    #5
    El Weirdo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,647 ✭✭✭✭El Weirdo


    28064212 wrote: »
    Also, if you use Firefox or Chrome, I've created a script to make it easier to report spammers. More info here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=77151902&postcount=1795
    Post reported as spam.


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    #6
    eagle eye
    Registered Users Posts: 38,429 ✭✭✭✭eagle eye


    El Weirdo wrote: »
    Why PM them? Do you not report the offending posts, then post in the Spammer notification thread?
    It slows them down it appears. We are getting multiple threads set up by the same account. They are all exactly the same.

    You come onto the forum to read something and all the threads at the top of the first page are this spam stuff.

    Each thread has only one post.


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    #7
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    The vast majority of these are bots. So when you PM them, it may look as if it stopped them, but in fact the person controlling them has just moved on to the next account.

    We have to strike a balance between slowing down spammers and not making it too difficult for new users to sign up. As it stands, there is a percentage of people who begin the sign-up process, and for whatever reason, do not complete it.

    If we make the sign-up process even more complex in an effort to stop spam, we would most likely reduce the number of new sign-ups, something we do not want.


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    #8
    Zaph
    Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,305 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    The numbers of spammers who actually successfully post on Boards is only a fraction of the numbers who sign up. Huge numbers are stopped in their tracks before they post or in many cases before they even complete their registration. Very often the reporting of a single spammer can lead to 50 more on the same IP address waiting in the wings, so reporting them on the Spammer thread in Feedback really is the best action to take. We do try to get to them as quickly as we can, and as Tom said you're just really wasting your time PMing them because they've already started posting under a different account by the time you send the PM.

    Btw, while AF is a regular target for these guys, it is nowhere close to being the worst hit forum. Spare a thought for the users of the forums at the top of the Arts category. They were the sole reason Aardvark was created and it does a pretty good job it must be said.


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    #9
    Paparazzo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,397 ✭✭✭Paparazzo


    Is it possible to only be able to create one thread every 10 minutes? Those ones that post a link to streaming sites to watch the latest live match seem to have 3 or 4 every minute.


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    #10
    Sindri
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,059 ✭✭✭Sindri


    Paparazzo wrote: »
    Is it possible to only be able to create one thread every 10 minutes? Those ones that post a link to streaming sites to watch the latest live match seem to have 3 or 4 every minute.

    Or how about a CAPTCHA verification process before posting threads?


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    #11
    Zaph
    Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,305 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    If we start imposing restrictions that make it too difficult for regular users to use the site properly then we'll have a whole new set of problems. It's tricky trying to find the right balance, but I think on the whole we do a pretty good job of containing the spammers.


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    #12
    eagle eye
    Registered Users Posts: 38,429 ✭✭✭✭eagle eye


    I think you guys do a great job. I do think though that Paparazzo has made a very good suggestion.
    I find it hard to believe that anybody would be inconvenienced by not being able to start a second new thread for 10 minutes, except for spammers of course.


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    #13
    Paparazzo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,397 ✭✭✭Paparazzo


    I don't think any normal users make a new thread that often. And even if they did, it would be such an irregular occurrence it shouldn't be much of an inconvenience. Even every 5 minutes would cut these spammers out. You can always see a list of matches you can "watch live" posted on the home page with the latest posts.


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    #14
    Boards.ie: Danny
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,609 ✭✭✭Boards.ie: Danny


    eagle eye wrote: »
    I think you guys do a great job. I do think though that Paparazzo has made a very good suggestion.
    I find it hard to believe that anybody would be inconvenienced by not being able to start a second new thread for 10 minutes, except for spammers of course.

    There are initiatives in the works, unfortunately the vBulletin flood check is a primitive thing and doesn't meet our requirements


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