Topic: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

Hey All,

There are a bunch of SPAM threads and after reading through them it seems that the majority are based on bots that automatically signup as members and start posting SPAM posts in the forum.  There are a number of solutions to this including CAPTCHA, etc. where we try to thwart an automated BOT system.

I've (knock on wood) not had a huge problem with BOTs posting spam in my forum, but what I'm seeing now is members signing up and using the forum email feature and the links to members' email addresses to SPAM email them.

I highly doubt these are due to bots.   Would you agree?   If it isn't a bot, but a real person, then the CAPTCHA, other validation methods do me no good, correct?   Seems that the only fixes (base on this being real people and not bots) are:

1)  Encouraging members not to post their email addresses or allow email through the forum - I don't like this idea as it prohibits the communication and comradere within the community

2)  Reactively ban the member - By the time members receive the SPAM emails and report the user the spammer has already hit a bunch of members.    I'm also hesitant to ban IP addresses and especially ranges as I've seen legit members also get blocked.

So, for non-bot related spam, especially in the form of email to clients, is there a solution?

Rob Ludlow 
www.Nifty-Stuff.com - Repository of all Stuff Nifty!
www.reviewum.com - Professor Ratings + Teacher Reviews

Re: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

I think it is due to bots.

Re: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

Seriously?   Well, i guess installing a CAPTCHA, etc. would help.   I just can't imagine that it is a bot and not a real person.  Any way to tell for sure?

Rob Ludlow 
www.Nifty-Stuff.com - Repository of all Stuff Nifty!
www.reviewum.com - Professor Ratings + Teacher Reviews

Re: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

Put up a CAPTCHA and see if the problem stops.

Re: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

Smartys,  I've been looking through some of the resolutions and this one seems easy to implement, but aslo a bit of fun:

http://www.punres.org/files.php?pid=400

My forum topics are pretty specific, so I could use a question that applies just to the community.

So, one last thing:  Humor me... let's say it isn't a BOT, but a real person who is logging onto the forum.   Is there nothing that could be done to prevent email and/or posting SPAM?

Rob Ludlow 
www.Nifty-Stuff.com - Repository of all Stuff Nifty!
www.reviewum.com - Professor Ratings + Teacher Reviews

Re: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

Right, other than completely disabling the email functionality or writing some sort of anti-flood code for it.
Don't worry, more fine-grained controls of the email functionality are coming in 1.3

7

Re: EMAIL SPAM By Registered Members - Are They BOTS? If not how to stop?

reviewum.com wrote:

Smartys,  I've been looking through some of the resolutions and this one seems easy to implement, but aslo a bit of fun:

http://www.punres.org/files.php?pid=400

If you look in one of the discussion threads for that mod, there's a multiple question/answer version of it.