# Spam



## Ian (Oct 23, 2006)

I just thought I would bring up the subject of spam. Not sure if it is just me, but it has got a whole lot worse of the past few months. I receive so much through email, and it is not that I have been posting on public boards, or signing up to any other mailing lists. The thing that annoys me is also that they are so dam irrelevant to anything anyone would want to look at?

For example, I get this:

Reacted narrowly focused am fun of relaxation escape a data increase orders edges a universe frontier mans womans appetite books wheel bookmans inventions enddate.

Its original currently undergoing or closeup mechanism side Music Cabinet a visible door.

X multiple os am formats century in wish gm Exxon Arts of Honda am show in door.

Planet suck in guess extremely believe indicator nonsucking willfully themselves ignorant monopoly Understand in this incentive migrate testa test Garry is.

Strange ab in Advertise Media kit is Careers Site map Contact Terms.

Cam Affordable a monitoring a infants studio a Prenatal Listener or Bebspl mytitle nameb namec Alignright alt startlarge fabric featuring.

Hung dry refuse is quit everybody quotquot awesome cattle Clang suprise sokushi banning in odd a begining.

Sitting a typing Firefox what Avuton Olrich Michael prn para Monday Eliax Mentes acaba de anunciar esta!

Yes quoti gets ones tuned fit himself in do theyre fine am ran fine.

Learn build effective Register in it am appears cookies disabled browser Please enable of proper respects privacy.

Cam Affordable a monitoring a infants studio a Prenatal Listener or Bebspl mytitle nameb namec Alignright alt startlarge fabric featuring.

I mean, why would someone bother to waste their time, sending this to people? The are no links, references or any other content that benefits the person sending it!

Have also noticed that more andmore spam bots are signing up to forums. I remove sometimes 2-3 posts per day off of here, again, subjects that are totally irrelevant. Meh, I just do not understand the world of spam. Someone please fill me in.

Rant over.


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## Jwonni (Oct 23, 2006)

I have always received quite a bit of spam but in the last 2 weeks its gotten really bad but its not normal spam

its loads of mail sending failed this, your mail was blocked that, even foreign blocking etc, BUT I'M NOT SENDING MAILS TO ANYONE

it looks like my account has been hacked to use my account to spam and these are peoples spam filters blocking me

and i keep clicking em and clicking spam but they are not filtering out


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## Rick (Oct 23, 2006)

I don't get a lot of spam in email but I get tired of dealing with it here on this board.


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## Orin (Oct 24, 2006)

My lycos mail started getting 30 spams a day six months ago which has continued daily (when lycos decided to "upgrade").

Someone has been spamming this board pretty bad in recent weeks and I've had to remove a few fake users every day. Deleting the spam is a hassle but there's not really that much you can do. Blocking isp's and blocking e-mail addresses doesn't usually help much because they use new ones each time. I've had other boards spammed but never with such zeal.


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## Ian (Oct 24, 2006)

One of the best ways int to install an image varification upon signup. I have noticed this works well with phpBB, however some users still manage to bypass this.


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## kevinr (Oct 24, 2006)

the image verification only stops bots, if the image is sufficiently distorted, however, rumour has it that a new breed of bots is out that can read through this, but I have yet to confirm this.

As for actual people signing up, there's little you can do to stop them, as banning IP's is useless unless they have a fixed IP, but in all likelyhood they will use a proxy, so whether you ban an individual IP or an entire range, they will just bypass that ban, and with free email accounts being the choice tool for these people, stopping one makes no difference.

The best way to stop people is to have email verification enabled on your board, or if very bad, have admin verification enabled as a first line of defence, then set a new user group for new members which limits their capabilities on the board, such as not posting links in posts, not using PM (usually these are board modifications, but I'm not clued up on phpBB software) afte they have posted so many posts, they can get promoted to a full members account which opens their capabilities up..this ensures only dedicated members stick it out, as most spammers are not willing to make 5,10,15 or 20 posts before being allowed to spread their propaganda about..

These are just my observations/personal experiences from previous/current ventures


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## Ian (Oct 24, 2006)

Yes, I agree to only REAL way to comabt spamming is by admin varification. But, this can be a pain for users. I know I get really annoyed when I see a thread on a forum I am DYING to reply to, and I sign upm, and have to wait for admin varification! But, it's not to bad.

But I guess it is up to Mr O.


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## yen_saw (Oct 24, 2006)

Damn all the spam mails :x :x :x !!!!!!!!!!!


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## kevinr (Oct 24, 2006)

yeah, unfortunatly admin verification can put new members off a little as they compare your 'tough measures' to the gestapo, and prefere an easier sign up..but usually they are the same kind of people who hate all the spam that we also hate...you can't really win, only make a trade off....sucks really, especially as most forum owners are just trying to runa nice little, non profit community for like minded people


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## Ian (Oct 24, 2006)

So true. I mean, what connection is there between mantids, and viagra?


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## kevinr (Oct 24, 2006)

depends on how badly you want to breed them :lol:


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