Banning Spammers - A Permanent Solution

[Lützow]

Blocking Chinese IP's would be a good start.

[diablo1]

I think they should use the old copyright protection scheme they used in the old days.

What is the word on paragraph 2 of the forum rules, line 3, word # 6 spelt backwards?

[htuna]

Took a few days to get approved for both Wargamer and theblitz, probably cause Humans do the approving.. could be the way to go..

[E]

ORIGINAL: diablo1

I think they should use the old copyright protection scheme they used in the old days.

What is the word on paragraph 2 of the forum rules, line 3, word # 6 spelt backwards?

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[Jeffrey H.]

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Blocking Chinese IP's would be a good start.

It's not Matrix is getting many sales from China anyway. Most of these organic spambots are Chinese or Indian I think.

[Doggie]

Using the "report post" button flags the thread with a saymbol only moderators can see. We got rid oif the spam bots at our forum by adding an advanced CAPTCHA that requires the usaer to solve a simple math problem in addition to the reading the warped characterd. MDDT is spam free.

[jomni]

You mean spammer's can't do math? I think they can since they're real people instead of bots.

[Widell]

Maybe a distinction between users with registered games and "potential customers"? User groups can be pretty useful against at least some types of spammers, aka, you need at least one registered game to post links or attachments for example. At least makes posting less interesting for the "human bots", and can most likely be automated as well = No additional workload for Matrix beyond the initial job to set it up.

Second, maybe a few of the frequent users here could be assigned to the "Matrix SPAM Guard", and at least be able to place users "in custody" until a formal Admin can ban them and their IP's? Not sure if and how Matrix would be willing to implement this....

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

I'm not too fond deciphering those squiggly letters on every site now and wouldn't want even more hoops to jump through which are no harder for spammers to jump through than for me.

I reckon the spammers you got here are humans doing random copy & pastes with their TV DVD links inserted and the easiest solution is just delete their rubbish and accounts as they arise. We can only hope karma in the form of some gory accident catches up with them.

[SuluSea]

Spam does seem like it's getting worse not just here but other forums as well. To sit back and do nothing is doing the offenders a favor.

[Widell]

The "squiggly letters" does obviously not prevent spammers from logging in, but it makes it a little worse for the automated bots. As soon as we start seeing "human bots", they are as able to fill out the letters. Only way is to work with user groups, and not allow "common" users to post links. Even then, mods will be needed to go after spammers of the kind we see right now.

[Phatguy]

ORIGINAL: SuluSea

Spam does seem like it's getting worse not just here but other forums as well. To sit back and do nothing is doing the offenders a favor.

Well, we could fill their in-box with spam......

[vonRocko]

You could just ignore them and not let it bother you.[8D]

[AndySfromVA]

I moderate a forum that's much smaller and less active than this. Every day I erase 25-50 spam messages.

The best way to police a forum is to have someone examine it regularly and physically remove the spam.

[E]

Back in the 90's, I finally just stopped allowing new users to post on my forums until they were verified (which was my SOP in the 80's (BBS/Fidonet days)). Chinese spam was probably even more prevalent back then.

[Arctic Blast]

ORIGINAL: AndySfromVA

I moderate a forum that's much smaller and less active than this. Every day I erase 25-50 spam messages.

The best way to police a forum is to have someone examine it regularly and physically remove the spam.

Sadly, this is true. Any other 'measures' you can come up with will be circumvented...guaranteed.

[NefariousKoel]

ORIGINAL: Jeffrey H.

ORIGINAL: Lützow

Blocking Chinese IP's would be a good start.

It's not Matrix is getting many sales from China anyway. Most of these organic spambots are Chinese or Indian I think.

That would help quite a bit. I don't know if we have anyone here from China, itself, or even if this site can get through.

[Widell]

Well, blocking >2 billion people is hardly anything anyone wants to do if you're in the business of selling stuff

[Yogi the Great]

Keeping people off is a catch 22 for a company wanting to sell a product. I have no easy answers, but some of the posts I think are on the right track. That is of course if there is enough employees or money available.

Here is a further thought

Let moderators (upper staff) do what they should which is to control the discussions. They probably don't have enough time that they can take away from their main duties (ie: game making and marketing) to be ever present.

Assign an employee or two (low level, at home, intern, part time?) to just be reviewers who have the authority to locate and delete spam posts. These folks could check the forums once, twice, three times (whatever works) a day and keep a lot pf the spammers out. That let's the moderators do the actual discussion control and their company job while others with the time control the spam.

Whatever is done, there will always be some level of spam. We just have to put up with occaisional spam to enjoy the premium meal more.