The spammers are back!

[BootsMcGraw]

Howdy, y'all.

We're being attacked by spammers, again. I've had to ban almost one hundred bogus accounts in the last twenty-four hours.

Please do not open posts that these scumbags slip in before I send them on to Spammer Hell. They could have malicious links or even viral code that could damage your computer.

Those of you who have your "User CP" settings to run through all the "new" posts: I request you please disable that and read the posts, manually. Y'all are smart enough to know just from looking at the titles, what are legitimate posts, and what aren't.

Thanks in advance for your help. Together, we will drive out the vermin.

[wncMTNfoot]

Sorry you're having to put up with this crap Scooter. I would like to say thank you for all the time you have to put into keeping things going here. I really appreciate you very much. I know this Bull S#!t takes allot away from you own personal fun and enjoyment. I wish there was a better way to defer these idiots.

[Franz]

There is a way that spammers and hackers could be brought to heel (for the most part) but it's not going to happen: the U.S. Congress and the state legislatures could pass strict laws criminalizing spamming/hacking activities, with long prison sentences in follow-up of convictions for same. But that will never happen for the simple reason that the commercial and financial interest groups control the national and state legislatures and would countenance nothing that would or could potentially endow U.S. citizens with "freedom" from unsolicited advertisements unless an individual citizen requested by signed document that he/she be sent advertisements from a particular vendor. As Silent Cal Cooledge once put it: "The business of America is business." I do thank you, Scooter, for your prodigeous efforts to thwart spammers. It is a neverending struggle.

[BootsMcGraw]

There is a way that spammers and hackers could be brought to heel (for the most part) but it's not going to happen: the U.S. Congress and the state legislatures could pass strict laws criminalizing spamming/hacking activities....

Franz,

You misunderstand spammers. Not one of them is from the US; so no law created here could be enforced. Spammers will stop spamming when people stop opening their posts and clicking on their links and giving them social security numbers and bank account numbers.

[PictureLooker54]

Can you give a pic or example of what this spam topic looks like??

[BootsMcGraw]

Can you give a pic or example of what this spam topic looks like??

Are you serious? New spam "topics" have nothing to do with the forum in which they are posted. Chances are one hundred percent that if the title mentions prescription drugs for sale, for example, it's spam.

Spam responses to existing topics can be identified by a non-sensical user name made of random characters. This also goes for private messages you might receive and those who start new "topics".

[ropedfeet]

They are getting sneakier though. I saw a new post in Off Topics and it said "New Here"...I thought it was a new member...but it was spam. I did Not open any link though...but in a split second I did click on the thread.

[BootsMcGraw]

They are getting sneakier though....

The spammers are from eastern Europe and Asia. They are now registering continuously, 24/7. I deleted 47 bogus profiles that were created between 1 AM and 6 AM.

Some more details about these pieces of shit:

Their names are gibberish, random collections of letters. They start posting immediately after joining. Their "topic" titles are irrelevant.

Please do not open posts that meet the above criteria.

Anyone interested in becoming a moderator, and helping me to fight off this infestation?

[Footlover4Ever_J]

The saddest part of that is they're very aggressive. The "I got a new this and a new that"... What gives? I get all that crap on my Windows Mail, and it's annoying -- at least it isn't a "I have a million dollars in a far-away land for you to have if you'll share your bank account" scheme.

I noticed that with the Off-Topic section. I hope this doesn't become a problem, and thanks BM for the input.

[tenchichan]

Is it ironic that this thread was spammed or is it just considered a shitty coincidence?

May I suggest outright stopping new members from signing up for the time being? Or is it possible to make it so new forum users need to be approved before they can post?

One forum I frequent makes it so new people have to have their posts approved for a short period to prove they're not spammers.

I mean, as much as I think it's good for the community to be completely open, nobody wants to be at a site overrun with spam either.