Defeating spam

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#1

There’s another dickhead (rstu936) spamming every thread he can find.

These clowns always have links to whatever it is they’re trying to sell.

Is it possible automatically to restrict new members from posting links until they have a certain number of posts AND, to prevent them just running up the requisite number, the mods have authorised them to post links?

It may affect a small number of genuine new members, but the mods can easily identify them and give them a green light.

Edit: Here’s some possibilities.

  1. Prevent new member links

An excellent plugin for vbulletin prevent new members from posting links according to a specific parameter, usually post count.

In other words, if you set the parameter on the plugin to “20 posts”, it means that new members cannot post a link until they’ve made 20 posts.

You can find the plugins here:
Forbid Users from Posting Links or Images if They Have Fewer than 15 Posts (NOTE: Only for vbulletin 3.5+)
Prevent Users With Low Post Counts Posting/PM’ing URLS (NOTE: Only for vbulletin 3.0.x)

Pros: This is an excellent way to prevent new member registrations simply to post link advertising on your forums.

Cons: It can be annoying to genuine new members linking to genuine third-party websites.

Additionally, some forum spammers add the URL without the http://, hoping they can get traffic from members pasting in the URL.

Worse still, some forum spammers will make “me too” posts in order to reach the required link count, then drop their ads. Combat this by ensuring a long delay between posts (ie, vbulletin Admin > vbulletin Options > Message Posting and Editing Options > Minimum Time Between Posts > 60) to make it least worth their while to do so.

3a. Moderate posts by keyword

A more recent and excellent anti-spam plugin for vbulletin:
Prevent Spam Posts - vBulletin.org Forum

This allows you to set common spam keywords. Where a new member makes a post containing any of these potential spam keywords, the posts are sent to a moderation queue, rather than posted to the public forums.

TIP: Add the following as keywords, commonly used in Nokia/iPod spam (Mobile phone/ringtone/xbox/ipod spam info): @yahoo @gmail @hotmail

http://www.securitywatch.co.uk/forums/how-fight-forum-spamming-222.html

#2

I got him, and it took me all of three seconds to delete all of his posts (through his user ID, and I can delete everything).

I think what we need is for George, pdf, and I to be able to ban members that have five posts or more…And possibly ban IPs too…

#3

Here’s another dick wacker http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7073

This Wow Gold thing has come up a few times in posts by other sausage strokers.

Is there any way of putting Wow Gold on a site shit list that stops them posting?

#4

I help Mod and run another forum, and on there all members have to be approved. So we check username, email and IP. Of course a few spammers slip through but like here they get caught pretty quickly.

But we have found this site great for tracking spammers and removing their registration applications before they get on the boards:

http://www.stopforumspam.com/

Not perfect but I hope it helps you guys. It’s amazing just how stupid most spammers are and use the same email address and/or IP

Good luck. I know what it’s like

#5

thank you for that link. I’ll take a look at it.

One thign I can’t do is manually approve all new registrations. too many and too time consuming!

#6

Maybe you acn create accounts with the name of those people in the list so that they cant get in?

#7

(all links changed to ww2incolor.com)

Okaaay, that is stupid…

#8

Let me guess, he posted spam on a anti spam topic, that happened before a while back.

#9

Yeah, that guy has about 3 very similar accounts and has been banned about 20 times by Nick, George and myself. Unfortunately we don’t have the power to actually stop him - we can give him multiple bans but they have no effect whatsoever and all we can do is delete posts when they show up.

#10

Your the man pDF!!..Delete, Ban and God Speed!..thats why we love ya!

#11

Wait a minute, Whats the point of having a banning rule, if the banning doest stop them from logging back on.:confused:
Whats the point of having a banning rule then,it just a waste of time for the mods.:confused:
So that means you guys are stuck with me forever?

#12

There are mods with the power to ban them (Firefly, General Sandworm and Procyon), they just aren’t around very much. This is due to an abuse of power by a former mod, which means the mod superpowers of the rest of us have been severely curtailed to protect you guys from experiencing that sort of thing in future.

Don’t bet on it. There are people with the power to ban you, I’m just not one of them.

#13

In fairness to the former mod concerned, and I having been rather central to that issue, it’s unfair to accuse him of an abuse of power, which suggests some sort of corruption or bad motive in exercising his powers.

It would be fairer to say that he was, in the view of some other members, at times impetuous, or erratic, or extreme in his actions.

But, objectively, generally he acted in what he saw as the best interests of the board (perhaps excluding some matters to do with a brief unpleasantness between Her Majesty and a Latin dictator over an inconsequential collection of islands full of sheep. :wink: :mrgreen: ) .

It is a great pity that his conduct ensured that current mods don’t have the same powers he had, but which they could be relied upon to exercise judiciously and which would have avoided the need for my post at http://www.ww2incolor.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8176

#14

Oh ok.They had to get rid of that evil mod cause this forum wont have any members left.
Did that evil mod make Nickdfreash look like a pussie cat, that was a joke ok.
How come the super mods havent band me yet?, is it because they know im no harm to this forum. If they thought i was a danger,the super mods would of banned me ages ago.

#15

Or maybe because they haven’t been here since the last time you did something stupid…

The Mods take care of your “trash” as well, so the Admins don’t see it…

#16

Your thinking of the wrong Mod mate. I think he means Erwin…

#17

I suppose its because your coming across as niaive and not malicious?

#18

Hardly. However, we are of the opinion that stupidity alone is not sufficient grounds to ban someone, and tend to apply Hanlon’s Razor to such situations. So far it is not sufficient to demonstrate malice in your case, and accordingly you have not been banned.

#19

Oh cool, the mods are looking after me, is that what you are saying!

#20

That is still being debated…