Unsolicited Adds!!! :0

[morphmom]

What the heck is going on with all these adds!? I've reported 4 already and yesterday I reported 2 in the same post! :shock: Is anyone else seeing this or do I just stumble across them? It's really starting to annoy me

 

[diamc]

We know these are annoying and there have been quite a few lately. The moderators are taking care of them as fast as we can by deactivating the accounts. We do appreciate members reporting them in case we don't run across them on our own. We appreciate your help and patience.

 

[morphmom]

We know these are annoying and there have been quite a few lately. The moderators are taking care of them as fast as we can by deactivating the accounts. We do appreciate members reporting them in case we don't run across them on our own. We appreciate your help and patience.

The Mods are doing a wonderful job. Honestly. I just wish there was more we could do. *sigh* people can be so darn inconsiderate!

 

[Claudiusx]

Like perhaps not allowing new accounts to hyperlink until they have 50 posts or more.

-Brandon

 

[morphmom]

Like perhaps not allowing new accounts to hyperlink until they have 50 posts or more.

What does hyperlink mean? I'm not very good with computers. LOL! :lol:

 

[Claudiusx]

It's the links they are posting hoping you will click on to take them to the website they are trying to spam.

Like this: FREE MONEY

EDIT: Dont worry, the link just takes you to google, was just an example :mrgreen:

-Brandon

 

[morphmom]

Thank you Brandon. In that case I agree whole heartedly. Earn the right to hyperlink. It makes sense to me

 

[beardie]

I don't think the forum software has support for enabling links for users like that. I can check. It would be a helpful solution.

 

[beardie]

I just checked the permission options. I don't think it has support for doing that with the URL tag. Oddly, it does have that for the IMG tag. annoying to not be more versatile.

 

[Claudiusx]

Agreed. It's been especially bad the past week or two. It's like they KNEW you went on vacation lol :twisted:

-Brandon

 

[kjinxx2]

Are the accounts coming from one country or range of IPs? You could search your user database and see if there are any IP's within that range, if not do a range ban. What about image verification for new accounts? I thought the phpBB team was working to incorporate that at some point.

 

[beardie]

Some are. I have wide swaths of IP bans at the server level. In some of the recent instances it has been new blocks of IPs allocated to countries I'd already blocked. More blocks of this nature will be coming when I have a chance (been on vacation, then getting oriented after my return, then sick, and now have some big day-job stuff going on). Hopefully, soon, things will be back to normal.

 

[Kajolic]

May I ask what version of phpBB these boards are using? (rhetorical I suppose, wouldn't want to posted publicly, this is why they removed it from the bottom of the page to prevent version specific attacks) I only ask because I could have sworn 3.0.6 and after than a feature to spam control either by Admin UC or via minimum post count User Groups a member automatically joins once they reached the set post count and then that would enable posting of URLs.
Might dust off my spare computer and load up the web sever again and see. It's been a long time since, but I still follow the phpBB build notes every now and then.

Something worth browsing if you haven't already: https://www.phpbb.com/customise/db/modifications/anti%96spam-9

 

[beardie]

We're on the latest version (well, actually, a new update JUST came out I still need to apply). Yes, the feature that moves someone into a different group after a certain number of posts does exist. The problem is that I don't want to block people from being able to post altogether. I can setup other controls, however there is no control that limits just the ability to use the "URL" tag. I wish there was, as this would limit the ability to post a link and virtually eliminate spam's motivation. They have controls for a few other tags, which is why I do not understand why URL isn't one of the key ones they provide specific controls for. Most of the spam control features exist, but spammers are constantly finding ways around them in an automated fashion (usually all bots).

 

[SpitFyre]

You could email the forum software team. They might incorporate it at a later date.