Combating Spam

[Outinstickssnafu]

I agree -- Just a handful the report button works quite well.

Before places existed like stopforumspam with lists of bad actor emails and email domains, using usergroups was the usual goto tool to thwart spammers. Seeing as there are only a few, there's something at work.

Captcha ... ugh ... and half the time, the bots can solve them better than myself.


These days it is now possible sites can be set such that user generated links are not indexed by search engines. Mind that make it hard when all a member can recall is a post with a link that was in it.

 

[ultrarunner]

I don't agree.

It's not a problem for a member to simply "report" a posting and then post a 'reported' so that other members aren't caught up with it. I do it often as my time-zone seems to be a primary posting time for these spams.

The recent Gummie Bear or Keto diet spams are blatant. Other 'trojan' postings are usually just as suspect... once 'reported', Catherine or the Mods, can make a determination. Otherwise, making it difficult for potential, real, new Members is detrimental to what TBN is all about.

I always report…

Only thought is to lighten the Mod load especially after hours.

 

[MossRoad]

I always report…

Only thought is to lighten the Mod load especially after hours.

Your reports are extremely handy. When you report a post, it goes into the "reports" queue.

Without getting into specifics, the reporting system works great for the moderators. It's super easy for us to use and it's just a matter of noticing a red icon at the top of our page when something new is reported. Click, read, decide, push a big SPAM button, BOOM! It's gone. Back to your happy day.

I'm really kinda surprised how many people do NOT report spam. It's usually the same few members that do, and we appreciate it.

Please keep reporting those spammers!

 

[ultrarunner]

Good to know...

 

[jaxs]

Time to start blocking by IP and by ISP and VPN providors. They also tend to overuse "fake" domains in their email addresses.

Not to jab a stick in the hornet nest but wouldn't that go a long way in resolving the issue of banned members returning incognito?

 

[jaxs]

I always report…

Only thought is to lighten the Mod load especially after hours.

Your reports are extremely handy. When you report a post, it goes into the "reports" queue.

Without getting into specifics, the reporting system works great for the moderators. It's super easy for us to use and it's just a matter of noticing a red icon at the top of our page when something new is reported. Click, read, decide, push a big SPAM button, BOOM! It's gone. Back to your happy day.

I'm really kinda surprised how many people do NOT report spam. It's usually the same few members that do, and we appreciate it.

Please keep reporting those spammers!

I've heard members say they will not report but as of yet haven't heard reasoning.

 

[Jstpssng]

Which leaves the posts viewable for several hours since none of the mods are typically here during the overnight/early morning hours.


And this isn't a new issue (posted Aug 28, 2018):

Overnight Mods

Y'all need a couple of Mods here overnight to smyte the spammers. Seems there are a few longer term, higher post count members here during the time the spammers hit the boards that they could be enlisted to go on the counter-attack and flush them within minutes.

www.tractorbynet.com

And that's a problem, because-
wait a minute. Why is that a problem?

 

[Jstpssng]

I've heard members say they will not report but as of yet haven't heard reasoning.

I believe they were referring more to not wanting to report fellow members, who post outside of TBN rules. At least, that's the only context where I've seen that comment used.

 

[MossRoad]

IP addresses won't work. They rotate at random from the spammers.

 

[Outinstickssnafu]

... and of course banning IPs don't work out because some ISPs use a small IP pool. Bots have access to thousands of IPs ... and probably still target other people's computers to zombie them to spam on their behalf. Lists of known emails and domains work to a point. It's fairly clear something like that occurs here, but like any other place, it's not fool proof, some / few will get around it.

Real people might use a VPN ... someone running a bot network is going to go for something like a free or $1 per month disposable server account to do their bidding.