Spam

[Lomm]

Due to the large number of spam posts the past few days, I have done two things.

First, I banned/deleted all the accounts created since April 3 (I perused the list first to ensure I didn't snag any actual contributing members!)
Second, I have changed the registration requirements and CAPTCHA settings. From here on new members are going to need to activate their accounts via an email that the board will send out, which I have tested as working now. The CAPTCHA is now a little more complex than the basic image we were using before, but still I think more legible than the messy default one I changed away from a while ago.

Now I hope these measures kill the infestation.

[dianedebuda]

Thanks. Thought you might be having to make changes. Been watching new member list for a person that said on TB's site they were having problems getting over here and have seen the huge influx. Told the prospective member to let me know when he/she tried again and I'd try to give you a heads-up, but haven't heard anything since the 4th.

[jimimac71]

Spammers are still getting in.
Using the voice of Ben Matlock, Jackasses!"

[Sepiatone]

But......





Sepiatone

[jamesjazzguitar]

Sadly I still see lots of spam. I don't like it and I have fried it.

[Hibi]

Thanks for your help, but it seems it hasn't stopped it all yet. UGH.

[jimimac71]

It might be more difficult to create a fake account with a text message code versus an email.
Good luck Lomm. We appreciate all your efforts.

[Lomm]

Deleted all of the new accounts and threads. Now I am disabling registration for the time being.

ALL: If you have someone who wants to join, try to find out what username they want and I will just manually set it up, even with locked registration. There shouldn't be too many of those for me to handle.

[jimimac71]

Thank You Lomm.
I'm sure you have better things to do with your time.
Diane seems very willing to help people on TB's site join over here.
Just what do these spammers really expect to accomplish?
The site looks healthy again.

[Lomm]

I also blocked China. I'd blocked Russia a long time ago. One of our hosting providers, Cloudflare, also offer a new bot protection that I turned on (free, introduced it late last year and I didn't know).

[Hibi]

Thanks again! Nice to see it all gone!

[Masha]

It might be more difficult to create a fake account with a text message code versus an email.
[...]

that is not good option

i work with disabled veterans

many can not use telephones bcause of ptsd or stpd

many do find comfort in classic movies

[dianedebuda]

Thanks for your continuing efforts, Lomm.

[jimimac71]

It might be more difficult to create a fake account with a text message code versus an email.
[...]

that is not good option

i work with disabled veterans

many can not use telephones bcause of ptsd or stpd

many do find comfort in classic movies

In my case Masha, my brother created a Google account for my mom, thinking it would be of benefit. That's another story. I used my flip phone to receive the required text message code. I do believe the Captcha option might not be good enough. It sounds like Lomm is not using a Captcha that is random. I could be wrong. If a person can't use a phone, they may not have an ability to navigate this forum. I could be wrong there too.

[Lomm]

The captcha is random, but apparently the one we have is easily figured out. I’m looking at other options. For now I’m keeping it locked for a few days. We will not do anything with texting confirmation, no worries. As above, if someone reaches out to you I will manually set up an account. Short term solution only.