# Spam Solicitations



## Matt308 (Jan 24, 2007)

Horse and Moderators,

It seems that we are subject to more and more spam selling junk. While it is entertaining to make fun of these dip****s, perhaps all we are doing is antagonizing them to post more spam with our responses.

Since it appears that you cannot filter these numbnuts, how about plan B. Might I suggest that the Moderators agree upon a common response. If possible remove the post content (since you can modify it). Lock the thread. Ban the individual. No banter with the spammer.

Not ideal, but might remove the spammers obviously juvenile response to post even more just to get a rise out of us.

Just a thought.


----------



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 24, 2007)

We will look into it.


----------



## Erich (Jan 24, 2007)

note what I have been doing. the last guy I just banned is still trying to figure how "it" can get in with more sperm material


----------



## evangilder (Jan 24, 2007)

I used to just ban the user and delete the posts. I am amused at the way it has been handled lately, but we may want to consider locking the thread banning the user, and moving the locked thread to the old threads section. With big kudos to the admin/mod with style and creativity points.


----------



## Matt308 (Jan 24, 2007)

Oh, of course. Stroking the Admin/Mods is a given.

By the way Evangilder, lovely siggy.


----------



## Hunter368 (Jan 24, 2007)

Matt308 said:


> Horse and Moderators,
> 
> It seems that we are subject to more and more spam selling junk. While it is entertaining to make fun of these dip****s, perhaps all we are doing is antagonizing them to post more spam with our responses.
> 
> ...



I deal with this on the site where I am a Mod also (see my homepage or sig for link). Almost all of these posts are not done by a human being but a bot. One of the things that we have done is made it mandatory for a new person registering to put in their name (in their profile) when applying. 

What does this do you ask? Gives Mods a easily reason to ban a person if they do not file out their name correctly. But it also then makes the bots name show up in the name section of their profile. As Mods we can see everyone's real names in their profiles. Then we can see very fast hopefully before they post, that they are really a bot. Here is an example of a bot that we actaully banned today (that is shown under their profile):

Its user name was "pioneerrr"

Real Name (listed under profile):
Viagra cialis vs viagra

Then we try as Mods to keep an eye on all new people and look to see if they have a real name or a bot website listed in the name area. Now that does not solve the problem I know but it does help. There is no way to block all this spam hitting the net, it has gotten much much worse in the last 4-6 months. Whatever we put in place to stop them they find new ways to get around it. But I just wanted to let people know most of the time it is not a person doing it but a BOT that is sending out hundreds of spams. Insulting them or posting funny stuff in their posts is just wasting your time (althought it can be funny). If a person were to check our member list one by one I would bet you would find BOT accounts that have never posted anything, some just sit there, not sure why (we have them also on our forum).

It will keep going on there is nothing that can be done to stop them 100% of the time. Mods just have to try and catch them fast and delete / ban them. 

Good Luck.


----------



## Gnomey (Jan 24, 2007)

Another way to stop the bots is to have a picture validation stage during resistration (as well as an email validation stage). Most bots can't read images and therefore will not be able to register on the site.


----------



## Hunter368 (Jan 24, 2007)

Gnomey said:


> Another way to stop the bots is to have a picture validation stage during resistration (as well as an email validation stage). Most bots can't read images and therefore will not be able to register on the site.



That does help but also not fool proof.


----------



## Gnomey (Jan 24, 2007)

Yeah but it should help.


----------



## Hunter368 (Jan 24, 2007)

Gnomey said:


> Yeah but it should help.




Agreed


----------



## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 24, 2007)

Hmm okay guys, thanks for the info.


----------



## evangilder (Jan 24, 2007)

Matt308 said:


> Oh, of course. Stroking the Admin/Mods is a given.
> 
> By the way Evangilder, lovely siggy.



Thanks Matt! One from my air-to-air photo shoot in December.


----------



## Matt308 (Jan 24, 2007)

While that is a nice siggy, my humor is failing. I'm afraid I may be forced to take a sabbatical to polish my punchlines. I likely won't be missed...


----------



## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 26, 2007)

I agree it's gotten bad recently, but i don't agree with making people fill in their full names, i hate doing that and wouldn't have signed up all them years ago if i would have had to have done that, then where would the site be  i say just delete the thread if you guys can, ban the member, same again next time around, trying to see all the new member's profiles before they post would take ages!


----------



## Hunter368 (Jan 26, 2007)

the lancaster kicks ass said:


> I agree it's gotten bad recently, but i don't agree with making people fill in their full names, i hate doing that and wouldn't have signed up all them years ago if i would have had to have done that, then where would the site be  i say just delete the thread if you guys can, ban the member, same again next time around, trying to see all the new member's profiles before they post would take ages!



LOL Just b/c you ask people to put down their real names rarely does anyone actually do it on our site either. What they would do is put down their first name only or nickname or John Doe etc etc, but they still have to put something down. But it forces the Bot to fill it in with something and all they have to fill it with is their website (ie: illius.org). All it does is allows a Mods at a glance to see if it is a bot or not. It was not put in place a the main system to block or stop bots. It would take to long to check every new member.

Just deleting the post or thread and banning the user name is about all you can do.

As a side note we have in place picture validation stage during resistration as well as an email validation stage and it still does not stop them all. We still get about 4-8 bots a day that get by it. I would hate to see how many we would get without those steps in place. Yikes!!


----------



## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 26, 2007)

i think the picture thing's the best idea.........


----------



## Hunter368 (Jan 26, 2007)

Its so long ago since I joined I can't remember, maybe the Mods could tell us whether that is in place already here or not.

Like I said its not a 100% guard. We still get about 4-8 bots a day and we have it on the Martials arts site.


----------



## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 26, 2007)

well 4-8 threads of Erich's comments wouldn't be the end of the world


----------



## bomber (Jan 30, 2007)

Well you can continue to fight them.... day after day after day after day... or

Simply create a 'for Sale' forum...under the off topic forum..


Simon


----------



## evangilder (Jan 30, 2007)

bomber said:


> Well you can continue to fight them.... day after day after day after day... or
> 
> Simply create a 'for Sale' forum...under the off topic forum..
> 
> ...



Not going to happen. This is for aviation and aircraft of WWII, not a place for some numbnuts to fence his stolen goods. A bit chunk of the ones selling small electronics and the like are from places like Lagos Nigeria and former eastern bloc nations, that are hives of stolen good operations.

Besides, if we created that, it would not only invite *more *of the undesirable activity, but they wouldn't stay contained in that one spot, I can guarantee that.

We will continue to ban and edit, as that is part of the admin/mod job.


----------



## the lancaster kicks ass (Jan 31, 2007)

and a good job you guys are doing too, the extra responsibilities were one of the reasons i never signed up to be a mod......


----------

