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Spam and new member account limitations
02-22-2010, 02:46 PM
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#1
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Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 6,143
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Spam and new member account limitations
In the last few days we have had a rash of spam touting an online newsletter. These spammers are not only plastering the board with posts, they are also sending PMs and leaving profile comments. Removing this garbage has become a full time activity for site mods.
For a little while until we can find more foolproof ways to stop this onslaught, members with new accounts will be prohibited from using these messaging functions. New members can still post to the forum however. We are truly sorry to restrict new members in this way but feel that we must take this action to protect our long term members from this kind of harassment.
This is a temporary measure and if any new member needs to contact a moderator, please use our contact link at the bottom of the page. We will e-mail you at the first opportunity to answer your questions.
Please continue to use the report post feature to report spam. Forum members have been extremely helpful in this respect and we have been able to get these unwanted posts off the board quickly. 
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02-22-2010, 03:07 PM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 49,822
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by Janet H
Removing this garbage has become a full time activity for site mods.
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Those folks deserve a raise. Wait...
OK, if you can't pay the mods, at least see if Andy will give them some French benefits.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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02-22-2010, 03:18 PM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Those folks deserve a raise. Wait...
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Oh, I forgot to tell you -- Janet doubled my pay.
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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02-22-2010, 03:18 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At The Cafe
Posts: 6,873
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
....
OK, if you can't pay the mods, at least see if Andy will give them some French benefits.
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Where Andy lives it's 75-85 degrees F. Maybe he could send some nice temps our way? Never mind, they are also reporting thunderstorms there.
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02-22-2010, 03:19 PM
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#5
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Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 6,143
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Those folks deserve a raise. Wait...
OK, if you can't pay the mods, at least see if Andy will give them some French benefits.
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ohh more chocolate and nylons?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29
Oh, I forgot to tell you -- Janet doubled my pay.
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Black, sheer or fishnet?
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02-22-2010, 03:20 PM
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#6
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,315
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29
Oh, I forgot to tell you -- Janet doubled my pay.
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Is that all? My pay was TRIPLED, as was my vacation time. 
Nylons and chocolate? Nylons are uncomfortable and constraining, and chocolate is just plain fattening...
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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02-22-2010, 03:21 PM
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#7
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At The Cafe
Posts: 6,873
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Andy, where do you get your power? The sun is out in my 'hood today, despite predictions of rain all week. 
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02-22-2010, 03:21 PM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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Thanks you mods. I hate spam and really appreciate your efforts. 
__________________
I purr therefore I am.
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02-22-2010, 03:34 PM
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,315
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We hate it too, which is why this really isn't work for us! We have been dealing with a spam avalanche lately, the most I recall ever seeing here, and mostly spamming the same newsletter. We have been greatly helped by all of our great members reporting spam to us so that we are aware of it and can get rid of it fast, so thank you, everyone. It has been a great ER Forum community effort and it is much appreciated.
For those that don't know, the triangular white icon with a red "!" on it, at the lower left of each message is the "report post" icon. We really appreciate your help in reporting these spam posts to us.
Also, please -- everybody look at your profile and if you have a spam post, report it to us. Thank you so much!
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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02-22-2010, 03:41 PM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,732
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I love SPAM, SPAM Musabi is a local delicacy here. Good stuff  .
But I guess you moderator types are getting rid of it too quickly cause my PM box is empty. 
Keep up the good work.
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02-22-2010, 03:44 PM
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#11
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gone traveling
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3,864
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R
We hate it too, which is why this really isn't work for us! We have been dealing with a spam avalanche lately, the most I recall ever seeing here, and mostly spamming the same newsletter. We have been greatly helped by all of our great members reporting spam to us so that we are aware of it and can get rid of it fast, so thank you, everyone. It has been a great ER Forum community effort and it is much appreciated.
For those that don't know, the triangular white icon with a red "!" on it, at the lower left of each message is the "report post" icon. We really appreciate your help in reporting these spam posts to us.
Also, please -- everybody look at your profile and if you have a spam post, report it to us. Thank you so much!
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I had a PM spam this AM, but there was no red triangle icon availablefor reporting-maybe it had already been dealt with?- so I forwarded it to you. (Since we already have such a close moderator-member relationship...  )
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02-22-2010, 03:48 PM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,315
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Westernskies
I had a PM spam this AM, but there was no red triangle icon availablefor reporting-maybe it had already been deleted?- so I forwarded it to you. (Since we already have such a close moderator-member relationship... ) |
Thanks! We appreciate the report from you and dealt with it. So thanks again!
Also, profile comment spam doesn't have the triangle icon either - - it has a clickable "Report" link on the bottom right of the profile comment.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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02-22-2010, 03:53 PM
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,853
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Janet H
In the last few days we have had a rash of spam touting an online newsletter. These spammers are not only plastering the board with posts, they are also sending PMs and leaving profile comments. Removing this garbage has become a full time activity for site mods.
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Any indication what's sending the business this way? A certain ad or keyword or SEO? A vBulletin vulnerability? Raddr's & Greaney's ER boards don't seem to have quite the same level of issues.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janet H
For a little while until we can find more foolproof ways to stop this onslaught, members with new accounts will be prohibited from using these messaging functions. New members can still post to the forum however. We are truly sorry to restrict new members in this way but feel that we must take this action to protect our long term members from this kind of harassment.
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IIRC Bogleheads won't let new members put any links in posts until they've posted at least 10 times. I've seen other boards where PMs are disabled (except to contact mods or admins) until the poster has some minimum amount of credibility number of posts.
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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02-22-2010, 03:54 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
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Good solution to the onslaught!
I'm one of the earliest "Birds" to sign in on the forum, so I'll be extra vigilant in reporting anything that snuck in during the wee AM hours.
Thanks for all you moderators and admins do for us.
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
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02-22-2010, 05:07 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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__________________
I purr therefore I am.
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02-23-2010, 03:19 PM
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#16
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Dryer sheet wannabe
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 14
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I'm guessing "new" isn't determined by time but number of posts?
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02-23-2010, 03:40 PM
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#17
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Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 6,143
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Galahad
I'm guessing "new" isn't determined by time but number of posts?
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Yes - if you are a long time member with a low post count you may be impacted by this change. If you post here about this (and promise not to spam) we can find a work around to get you back this functionality.
Once again we know this is a drastic measure we have taken and hope to be able to return to our old model soon..
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02-25-2010, 05:23 PM
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#18
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,265
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I just reported a PM to the mods. It uses a prominent ER Forum member's avatar and usename, with title "Survey" and a strange-looking link in the body. I do not think this member would send such a PM and I am going to notify them privately. I do not want this person to get in trouble for sending SPAM which I am sure they did not do!
Amethyst
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
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02-25-2010, 05:33 PM
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#19
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,315
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Amethyst
I just reported a PM to the mods. It uses a prominent ER Forum member's avatar and usename, with title "Survey" and a strange-looking link in the body. I do not think this member would send such a PM and I am going to notify them privately. I do not want this person to get in trouble for sending SPAM which I am sure they did not do!
Amethyst
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How peculiar! I haven't see the report yet but thanks for reporting it.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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02-25-2010, 05:41 PM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 6,429
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Allright made me look at my user CP, long time no see, amazing stuff in there.
No spam. Maybe only the highrollers get the unique and valuable opportunities. Good to be a cheepskate.
__________________
There must be moderation in everything, including moderation.
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