Measures to Prevent Sign-Ups from Members like 'frsaclouisyk' and 'OpendeEn'

[Lase]

I love the fact that these spammers barely get through the door. That I get about 20 of these a day but only 1 in the past 6 months has managed to get as far as posting, that's great. But it's a real bind having to delete about 20 of these accounts everyday.

They typically have the words 'onboard' and TBRiviera' put into their profile fields.

Can we get something to prevent them even getting to the validating stage or is there something I haven't done?

[Dave58]

I was getting bombed by lots of ridiculous sounding new members a couple of months ago. It stopped dead as soon as I removed the existing Question and Answer Challenge entries and put some new ones in. Make them something specific to your site theme - something that your potential members are likely to know.

[Jυra]

I don't bother with the spam service because it doesn't prevent registration.

Q&A feature is amazing as stated above.

[Lase]

I thought of this answer challenge. I don't use one at all currently I just use the code captcha thing. I'm not sure this is popular because i see a lot of incomplete reg's.

Can you link me to what I need is it in Marketplace?

[Rimi]

I thought of this answer challenge. I don't use one at all currently I just use the code captcha thing. I'm not sure this is popular because i see a lot of incomplete reg's.



Can you link me to what I need is it in Marketplace?

:) It's built in under the systems tab. :)

[Dmacleo]

its listed on left side right below cache management

[Rheddy]

Not trying to be sarcastic, but why don't you use multiple tools that are at your disposal to stop spammers from registering? I'm using several different options and I haven't had a single spammer register and make it through the process. Why? Because I use multiple tools at my disposal:

Challenge and Answer: Never, ever, choose challenge questions that are easy to answer. I cannot tell you how many forums I have registered at where they have used a challenge and answer question such as 2 + 2 or 8 + 7 - 2. If you have a unique message forum, whether it's entertainment, such as movies or music, whether you're community is anime or whether you're a computer or website support forum, choose a Q&A challenge that is unique to your community or choose something that someone is going to have to do a Google or Wikipedia search in order to find the answer.

Use the "Stop Forum Spam" addon in the marketplace.I installed this remarkable tool and in two weeks, the addon has halted almost 300 spam registrations. Yeah, you heard me, almost 300. Everyone should use this wonderful addon/hook/plugin.

IPS Anti-Spam Tool. Please, please, please, you need to grab yourself a key and activate this useful tool. You don't even have to monitor it because it does all the work.

reCaptcha. Anyone who doesn't have this enabled, is asking for trouble.

User/Email Validation. If you don't have this enabled, then you;re also asking for trouble You can also choose User Email and Admin Validation, require the forum admin and the registered user to validate the account. The user through email and the admin once the user has validated through email.

There are a lot of tools out there. Don't rely on just one.

I can tell you that I havenm't had a single spammer get through my forums in a few years and when a new process is released to combat spammer, I'll test it out on my forums. If it works, I keep it. Always have multiple layers of protection against spammers. I can confirm that this process works. Don't just rely on a single system for protection. :lol:

[Bar Nuthin]

I noticed a new member in "Validating" that was also flagged as a spammer.

Is this a function associated to the Question & Answer Challenge?

[Eric Allione]

Captchas are pretty worthless because there are browser extensions that will crack those.

Q&A feature is amazing as stated above.

I have not had to delete a single one of those unvalidated 'hoojojmaoadfkkaksteezo' clowns since I set up a Q/A challenge. The question I set up was:

'Why did the _______ cross the road? (Backward spelling hint: nekcihc)

If someone can't solve that puzzle, then I can live without them as a forum member lol.

I noticed a new member in "Validating" that was also flagged as a spammer.

No, that's from your spam protection. It means that person is a known spammer in indexes like stopforumspam.com. There appears to be different tiers of "known spammers". Some will just get flagged, others will get autobanned. Still, I would just ban the IP or anyone either flagged or autobanned, delete them, and be done with it. I don't get any more of these guys, as stated above, but when I did I made sure to keep track of everyone I deleted in a Notepad file. It's easy, you just copy the whole row of their info in your ACP before you ban/delete them.

But while banning their IPs is one thing, you don't want to "flag" anyone unless they actually managed to post spammy stuff on your site. Likewise, you will get in trouble yourself if you report someone to spam sites who hasn't been spamming on your site (Simply having a stupid name, remaining invalidated, or being auto-banned are not good enough reasons to report or flag someone.)

[bfarber]

I don't bother with the spam service because it doesn't prevent registration.

Q&A feature is amazing as stated above.

The spam service really ONLY works during registration. It checks the person registering against our database, assigns a score, and then takes an action against that person during the registration process based on the score (typically, their account is immediately banned if they are a likely spammer).

The spam service does not do anything during posting. You can mark spammers who get through as a "spammer" to help our database learn and grow.

ETA - if you were simply referring to the word "prevent" in that sentence, then that is true. I just re-read your post and figured perhaps you were meaning it doesn't stop the registration from completing, however when initially reading it I took your post as stating the service doesn't affect registrations, so I'll leave my above clarification in place for anyone else that reads this.

[Rimi]

This is actually entirely untrue. :smile:

The spam service really ONLY works during registration. It checks the person registering against our database, assigns a score, and then takes an action against that person during the registration process based on the score (typically, their account is immediately banned if they are a likely spammer).

The spam service does not do anything during posting. You can mark spammers who get through as a "spammer" to help our database learn and grow.

:) I believe he's saying that the spam service does not stop the registration. Instead it allows the registration to go through and then just bans the member. :)

[Lase]

Well it's an amazing thing. I've been wholeheatedly impressed with its effectiveness. I didn't mark the one that got through as a spammer unfortunately but now I know.

By the way I haven't had a single one of these since I changed from capthca to challenge question. Thank you everyone.

What I am noticing is spammers reporting content. Then in the report is gobble-de-gook and some links. This doesn't happen that often though. Can't see how this would serve their purpose as I'm sure it's not visable to members, but there's no human decision making in any of this usually I shouldn't think.

[• Jay •]

reCaptcha. Anyone who doesn't have this enabled, is asking for trouble.

reCaptcha is crap. It's annoying to read and bots can beat it easier than "real" people.

KeyCaptcha is the way to go. I use it on my legacy license (no IPS Anti-Spam service) and haven't had any trouble at all with spambots.

[Rheddy]

21 days ago, I installed the plugin, "stopforumspam". In the past three weeks, the application has flagged and halted 600 spammer registrations. The service compiles its database from hundreds of message forum admins all over the internet, from such software as IPB, vBulletin, Xenforo, etc. When someone tries to register, and the SFS database has their IP Address, email address, username listed in their database, that registration is halted and kicked out. I have to highly recommend this simply plugin.

I have to also say that yoou also need to register on the SFS forums in order to get your API key, but that is fairly easy and free to do.

[• Jay •]

21 days ago, I installed the plugin, "stopforumspam". In the past three weeks, the application has flagged and halted 600 spammer registrations.

Yeah, and if I had attempted to register at your site, I'd have been one of them.

SFS is a scam that allows admins to blacklist anybody they simply do not like.

[Rheddy]

That is a misleading statement. Anyone who has their own webhosting account is already allowed to blacklist any user from their site. With cPanel, you can ban specific email addresses and IP addresses through your website's control panel, not to mention banning usernames, email addresses and IP addresses through your forums ACP.

Just love how someone can cast a gray cloud over anything. The Stop Forum Spam service is an excellent tool for restricting spammers from your website and message forums.

[• Jay •]

That is a misleading statement. Anyone who has their own webhosting account is already allowed to blacklist any user from their site.

Their OWN site. Yes :yawn:

Using SFS, Administrators can blacklist anybody they want to from any other site that utilizies the SFS database.

Just love how someone can cast a gray cloud over anything.

Not true, just substandard offerings. Project Honeypot is an outstanding tool that uses much more effective methods. They don't rely on the "honor system".

[Jυra]

:smile: I believe he's saying that the spam service does not stop the registration. Instead it allows the registration to go through and then just bans the member. :smile:

This. Primary reason why I do not use it and likely the reason others may not either.

[Eric Allione]

Using SFS, Administrators can blacklist anybody they want to from any other site that utilizies the SFS database.

If you were wrongly flagged as a spammer, and contact them, they will take your word for it and remove you from their list.

[• Jay •]

If you were wrongly flagged as a spammer, and contact them, they will take your word for it and remove you from their list.

And what's to stop it from getting added back in again? Nothing.

[Eric Allione]

And what's to stop it from getting added back in again? Nothing.

Maybe having a good attitude and not picking fights with people on forums will prevent you from getting added again? :smile:

[Marcher Technologies]

You should check the alt account you decided to harass me with.

My statements are no less true.

Stop whining and be proactive versus being retro-actively self-serving.

Refusal to report a broken file is one of the single most harmful things one can do to this community.

[• Jay •]

Maybe having a good attitude and not picking fights with people on forums will prevent you from getting added again? :smile:

Clearly you've never run across a corrupt admin before. Good for you.

Keeping your head shoved in the sand doesn't change the fact that when a system can be abused, it will be.

[Rheddy]

It sounds to me like Jay is trolling those websites where the admin don't take crap from spammers and trollers.

When I started working more on my site, I started posting less actively, but I do keep an eye on my forums. If someone is being a real pain, yes, I'll flag them as a spammer. Nobody likes to have users who disrupt their forums. I would suggest to Jay to act responsibly when visiting websites and message forums that are owned, operated and managed by those other than himself. I'm not trying to sound sarcastic here, but you're a visitor in someone else's "home".

I have no idea why you might be blacklisted via SFS, but that you wouldn't be on their list in the first place if someone didn't report you as a spammer/troller. While I've never used the SFS service in this manner, thanks for giving me that idea. It will help me eliminate those spammers/trollers that try to register under different IP addresses, email addresses, usernames and whatnot.

[• Jay •]

It sounds to me like Jay is trolling those websites where the admin don't take crap from spammers and trollers.

When I started working more on my site, I started posting less actively, but I do keep an eye on my forums. If someone is being a real pain, yes, I'll flag them as a spammer. Nobody likes to have users who disrupt their forums. I would suggest to Jay to act responsibly when visiting websites and message forums that are owned, operated and managed by those other than himself. I'm not trying to sound sarcastic here, but you're a visitor in someone else's "home".

I have no idea why you might be blacklisted via SFS, but that you wouldn't be on their list in the first place if someone didn't report you as a spammer/troller. While I've never used the SFS service in this manner, thanks for giving me that idea. It will help me eliminate those spammers/trollers that try to register under different IP addresses, email addresses, usernames and whatnot.

1) You're making some mighty lofty assumptions about me. If anybody is trolling in this thread, it's you.

2) The system is not a "troll blacklisting service". You're abusing the stated intent of the service yourself.