Moderating new members for a while

[El Gordo]

Hi All -- and particularly for anyone planning on registering on the forum.

We've had an annoying spam problem recently. It's not just us. Vbulletin forums like this one, have been targetted by automated spamming campaigns since the beginning of June. For every spam message posted, I've had a dozen that haven't got through, and I'm getting fed up with it.

For a while at least, I'm going to screen all new registrants. Anyone with a normal sort of email address will be OK. The spammers use a particular group of domains that I'll prevent from joining up.

This should cause only minimal inconvenience to new joiners, and none at all to existing members.

If anything in fact, life should become better for everyone who isn't purveying porn links or dodgy pills.

Cheers

Andy

[Sweder]

If anything in fact, life should become better for everyone who isn't purveying porn links or dodgy pills.

I'll get me coat . . .

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

If anything in fact, life should become better for everyone who isn't purveying porn links or dodgy pills.

So Floyd Landis won't be joining us anytime soon then?

[stillwaddler]

Damn, thought you wouldn't notice..:o

[El Gordo]

I'm going to remove the need for a manual step in registration, just to see what happens.

I'm currently blocking about 5-10 spammers trying to register each day. I just want to see what happens if I let them register. I'll delete their messages if they appear of course, but I just want to see if they do appear.

Bear with me.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Good work Andy. We appreciate it.

[Seafront Plodder]

I'll delete their messages if they appear of course, but I just want to see if they do appear.

I have admin status on another site and we also get loads of spammers registering to peddle their wares.

We find that they don't usually bother to post again or at least rarely, but the posts do attract a good source of amusing comment from members.

So, wondering Andy if you could leave them up for a while to see what occurs, maybe just clearing the bastards out once a week or so.

Dunno why they are targeting Luc though?

[El Gordo]

I have admin status on another site and we also get loads of spammers registering to peddle their wares.

We find that they don't usually bother to post again or at least rarely, but the posts do attract a good source of amusing comment from members.

So, wondering Andy if you could leave them up for a while to see what occurs, maybe just clearing the bastards out once a week or so.

Dunno why they are targeting Luc though?

They're not targetting Luc. The spamming is done by automated bots. They roam the internet, looking for (in this case) vbulletin forums. When they find one, they go through a script which registers them on the site, then automatically sends a message. I don't know what the script is but it must say something to the effect of: 'Go to forum number 10 and post this message'. Whatever the identifier may be, it just so happens to be Luc's forum.

I hate spammers and I hate spam, and that's why I delete the posts and delete the users. I suspect there's no human intervention whatsoever so I don't know how satisfying it could be to make fun of them.

In deference to the esteemed SP, I'll not delete any for a short while "to see what occurs". It goes against the grain though. If LJS objects, I'll remove them sooner. I may just not be able to stand it, in which case I'll sweep them away. A word of warning -- please don't write anything even faintly interesting or long in reply to any spam messages as your erudite words will get wiped out along with those of the spam. Second word of warning -- if I'm offended by a particular piece of spam, it will go straight away. Sorry.

[Sweder]

I say burn 'em.
Spammers are right up there with Estate Agents and, er . . . [SIZE="1"]independant financial advisors . . .[/SIZE]



. . . I'll get me cement overcoat

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Nah, don't muck around Andy - reinstate the manual registration process if it's the only thing that works.

Come the revolution, the first up against the wall will be the bloody spammers...

...closely followed by one or two politicans I can think of.

[Sweder]

I hear you Andy . . . but there's two more of 'em, both attacking the convivial Cloggie. Maybe there's something about the laid-back style of the Netherlanders that makes them an easy target . . .




. . . OK, its probably random bots.
But its so much more fun to pretend that they're picking on Luc

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

It's the Grolsch. They're attracted to the Grolsch...