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Moderators, Looks like we are being invaded with spam :thumbdown:

I sure wish one of our members or the LMF staff could get this %$#FFF#@!^FFF's IP address and get some legal action against
them... I know it's best to NOT acknowledge and pay them any attention... hopefully they will succumb to a strange unknown disease and die a VERY slow and agonizing death!! .. ..:smiley_aafz:

I moderate on 2 forums that both use plug ins from this site - one of the forums has over 100,000 members - before this we were ready to pull our hair out and most mods ready to quit

https://stopforumspam.com/mods

Lately there has been a lot of spam on the Electric & Battery Powered Equipment forum. I always send a "spam" report and do not reply, but it always takes a while for it to be removed. I used to moderate another forum where we could ban IP addresses, but that only works if the spammers don't change them. One suggestion is to reject posts with links as their titles, since these are obviously spam, and this would eliminate most spam.

How about incorporating one of those "I am not a robot" check boxes for new members first 100(?) posts?

cpurvis said:

How about incorporating one of those "I am not a robot" check boxes for new members first 100(?) posts?

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We use Captch on our web sites for joining, but that only stops web bots .
The spammers that are attacking this site are real live paid employees of large scale spamming companies.
Some of the spam is (trouser) snake oil but a lot of it appears to be click bait aimed at improving the status of web sites.
You know all those people who promise to make your page come up No1 in a google search.
Well this is one way they do it.
Report it , don't click on any of the links and wait for the moderators to remove it.
And by the way 8 of the 10 top spammers are residents of the good old USA who also hold 36 of the top 50 places and 42 of the top 100.
Nothing like good old Yankee ingunity :laughing: and free enterprise.

there are ways to slow it down..........I just report an d wait for the staff to handle it

Just reported two new ones. Seem to be coming from Asia based on the broken English, time of posting and subject matter. No doubt tomorrow there will be two more. Sigh.

...and another. They just keep on coming. Sad when the spam postings exceed the regular legitimate postings.

I'd suggest a two week waiting period before new members can post on the forum.

We have been trying different methods, varying degrees of success/failure.

Muhammad said:

We have been trying different methods, varying degrees of success/failure.

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I am NOT Hi-TECH savvy in the least, but I'm sure if we could get their servers, routers, or puters IP addresses there should be a way to recognize them and block them, I'm only guessing but maybe a security program such as companies use might be the answer, if the cost was minimal to us users, I'd be more than willing to be assessed a membership fee, we will most likely lose some membership but that is what the world has come to. I don't expect that this site can "foot" the bills for all it does now ?? I am grateful for what we have, EVEN having to put up with the B/S from these @#&%$#*&% idiots that are bothersome but NOT totally UN bearable as of yet ! You folks do a helluva job keeping them removed , again, my appreciation and admiration . ...Boobala ..:thumbsup: ..:thumbsup: ..:thumbsup:

IP addresses can easily be spoofed (faked), so each time you ban a spammer and its IP address, it simply registers as a different user name and IP. Same problem banning domain names from email spam. The only effective way to stop new spammer registrations is to put a waiting period in place before they can post or send PMs.

MowerMike said:

IP addresses can easily be spoofed (faked), so each time you ban a spammer and its IP address, it simply registers as a different user name and IP. Same problem banning domain names from email spam. The only effective way to stop new spammer registrations is to put a waiting period in place before they can post or send PMs.

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And then there are the zombie computers owned by all the moron bastards that are on 24 /7 and not running any sort of virus / trojan protection.
They will tell you all the virus stuff is bull dust because they have been on line for 20 years and never had a problem, which it true because the person who is using them as a zombie to distribute their mal wear / spam has been protecting their computer for the last 20 years
They have not had a problem, they are a big part of the problem.
Spam has random text in it , not because the spammers are foreign and do not understand English, they have random text so anti spam programs that read the text do not filter them out.
If you look at the products they are trying to flog, most are American and that is where the spam is coming from.
o oe in Russia is interested in getting you to buy snake oil from Kanssas.

They're even spamming this subforum now !

One spammer lists its mower as Ford.

"Chevy" as a mower would be a giveaway. "Ford" actually sold mowers.

http://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tractors/tractor-brands/ford/ford-lawn-tractors.html

cpurvis said:

"Chevy" as a mower would be a giveaway. "Ford" actually sold mowers.

http://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tractors/tractor-brands/ford/ford-lawn-tractors.html

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Sold them, yes. Build them, no. It's just like Stihl selling electric garden tools made in China.

Yikes ! Now there's three spammer threads on this subforum, including one posted nearly twelve hours ago.

yup its sad, there is more spam on here, than all of Hawaii

Just received a PM from a spammer, which I reported. On my other forum that I moderated, new members need 50 posts before they can send a PM. I recommend implementing the same protocol here. This spammer appears to be Vietnamese.

MowerMike said:

Just received a PM from a spammer, which I reported. On my other forum that I moderated, new members need 50 posts before they can send a PM. I recommend implementing the same protocol here. This spammer appears to be Vietnamese.

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Gees and I thought I was the only one.
They were Burmese.

Way back we suggested a form type of initial post to any sub forum where you answered several questions
Like brand of mower..................
Model...................
Brand of engine........................
Engine Number ....................
Dose the mower start ..................
Does the mower run.................
What part of the mower are you having problems with ....................

And based on those answers the soft wear did a search and brought up say a dozen relevant previous posts followed by the question
Has this answered your question or would you like post ?
The soft wear the creates the initial post with an input window down the bottom, for the poster to add their text.
You can then go one step further and scan the text the poster has added for key word like enhancement, testosterone, hormone, sex etc etc etc.
If the text contains any flagged words it goes strait into a potential spam directory and the poster get a message "we think this is spam it will not be posted till checked by a moderator- you will not be able to make further posts for 24 hours"
The initial post had all attachments dissabled so the spammer can not add a URL / video / photo / file till there is a reply. that was not them.

This makes life easier for the people who respond because most of the info required would be in the first post.
It makes it better for the poster because from the get go they will be getting the information they require and in most cases of "my mower won't start" they will see the same 1/2 dozen responses so can go right down to their shop and have a fiddle.

Spammers will be required to post, have that post responded to before they can add their spam in which case most won't bother.
Spammers who add spam to every sub forum only get to post one

I am gettin SPAM in my PM folder !! haven't opened it but don't know how to delete it , any ideas ??

You can report it as spam just like a regular post.

BlazNT said:

You can report it as spam just like a regular post.

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Thanks BROTHER Chuck,.. I ALWAYS knew you're a pretty Fart Smeller !! ...:laughing: ..:laughing:

Just reported another spam posting on this subforum that has been up for over nine hours. It's another one with a link as the title. Surely there's got to be a way to block this.

MowerMike said:

Just reported another spam posting on this subforum that has been up for over nine hours. It's another one with a link as the title. Surely there's got to be a way to block this.

Click to expand...

I really think the only way out QUICKLY , is a small membership fee , that could possibly be donated to a worthy charity.

Boobala said:

I really think the only way out QUICKLY , is a small membership fee , that could possibly be donated to a worthy charity.

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You might get rid of the spammers but you'll get rid of a whole lot of legitimate members, too.

Sorry, but I'll be first to go. Why should I pay to be a volunteer and give out information. I know no one will miss me, but I can't even get email alerts now to answer threads I reply to. Maybe I should get paid, just kidding, 99% of the time I enjoy being her, 1% I can live with.

Rivets said:

Sorry, but I'll be first to go. Why should I pay to be a volunteer and give out information. I know no one will miss me, but I can't even get email alerts now to answer threads I reply to. Maybe I should get paid, just kidding, 99% of the time I enjoy being her, 1% I can live with.

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NOT SORRY to disagree with you . I see this site as helping other folks who may for one reason or another don't utilize a mower shop with their issues. I thoroughly ENJOY this site and have a really good time here, I also consider it as entertainment combined with information. I was thinking along the lines of MAYBE $2.00 a year... I don't think the spammers are willing to put up even that paltry amount . I spend at least $15.00 to see movie with the wife, sometimes $5.00 or more on a magazine, and countless other items, that "nickle & dime" me all year long, as I said, the fee's could possibly be routed to a worthy charity ( Veterans organizations come to MY mind ) Rivets if you honestly think that $2.00 a year isn't worth it I'll be the FIRST to say ADIOS !! BY the way... I'm retired and live on my Social Security Benefit , which is LESS than a $1000.00 a month and I'm NOT on ANY type of WELFARE !! I live within my budget, but yet the wife and I live a very happy life I'm not gonna lose sleep over $2.00 or $5.00 a year for the privilege of attendance on this site. AND if you really can't afford to help those who need it ...THEN DON'T .

A fee would weed out a lot of new members as well. How many people are going to ante up just to ASK a question that might or might not get answered?

Answer: A lot fewer than if it's free.

There are other ways to deal with spam. Other forums I use don't have this problem.

WOW I didn't expect to be called cheap. I can easily afford to pay more that $5.00 if I wanted to as I'm still working and have saved enough to live comfortably. I've been on SS for many years and know how much they pay. That's not what I said. I just said that I don't feel charging me to give out free info is worth it to me. People come here looking for assistance and I willing give it at no charge. I've even seen you follow my posts and will bet you have learned a few things from them. None of us like spam and the admin. is working on resolving the problem. You suggested one solution and I disagreed. Because we don't agree you decided to resort to lambast my decision, even though you have no idea of my background or why I've been a member for so many years. I feel I've paid my dues in this industry, so now I can decide how I will dispense the knowledge I've gained. Don't see why my decision should result in the type of response you posted, but I'm a big boy and will get over it.

Today appears to be National Spam Day! Four new members posted threads with garbage. One started 7 threads in 2 minutes.
Is Catherine an administrator/moderator?

The problem is that reported SPAM stays up for days. The one I reported yesterday on this subforum is still up today. The forum I used to moderate would delete spam within minutes of being reported. That forum offered paid memberships with special perks and the moderators got free memberships as compensation. Maybe this forum needs to recruit more moderators.

Does anyone know who the admins and mods are? Do they show up often? Catherine has a title of Lawn World Support but I don't know what that means. There has been gobs of spam here yet other forums have none. I'm not sure if there is a "spam detector" in the hosting site or if it is something that has to be manually deleted. If more mods are needed, I will step up to the plate although I an new here. I just hate to see this garbage.

Only SPAM I like is with Chips!! that's french fries to you guys, since I joined the forum I have been getting loads of SPAM.

spam has, and will always be a problem...some sites appear to have little or no spam, but it is really the nature of those forums that drive the spammers........On one site I moderate I see one spammer a month and on another it is daily....now on the one that sees little...it is a jeep forum for people who like to mud and rock climb....the site has over 1000 posts a day and we are very active watching the site, the site that sees alot of spam is a heating and air conditioning site that has about 50 posts a day, so spam posts sit on the site longer because there is less moderator attention to it. I know it is not the answer to why, just something I noticed on the two sites. I also noticed that sites that allow for alot of advertising usually see alot of spammers

Three plus days and counting. Still, a spam post on this subforum has not been removed. Time to get a mod posse to exterminate them.

Good idea! Maybe they could be called the Mod Squad. Five new ones today.

I've suggested that and volunteered to be one. Deleting spam is about the only thing needing 'moderation' and it needs it badly.

Some of the spam looks like it was composed in advance by a lunatic. Five different posts of jabberwocky by the same person, all posted in about ten to fifteen minutes. Nothing to sell, no links, no nothing other than babble.

I don't know how hard it would be to incorporate in the software used here, but maybe the first five or ten posts should have to be approved by a moderator before being posted on the board. That way you could tell if they really want to talk about lawnmowers or are here to post click bait.

Spammers must really like lawn mowers....js

willys55 said:

Spammers must really like lawn mowers....js

Click to expand...

Lawn mowers with erectile disfunction.

AHHhhh 3rd day, NO SPAM at breakfast time, I'm learning to live without it !! ..:laughing: ..:laughing:

THANK YOU, ... THANK YOU, Admin and Moderators !!! ..:thumbsup: ..:thumbsup:

Hope can survive without your morning spam Boo

and found spammer hiding in the threads; http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/39092-Flooding-this-year

willys55 said:

and found spammer hiding in the threads; http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/39092-Flooding-this-year

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Clever little bugger, acting like a normal user.

I think I had a spammer in my PM inbox. Answered it, but when I tried to look up the profile, found no member listed or profile. All I can remember of the user name is it starts with PBS. Some thing didn't smell right, will not answer in the future.

What I don't understand is why there are two spam posts in this subforum that are over a week old.

The spammers are out in force this morning. I’ve reported ten threads from two separate spammer accounts so far. Let’s see how long it takes the admins to delete them.

So, I just checked and all the spam threads are now gone. Good job, admins !

Seems like the requirement for 5 posts before posting links has been removed?

Speaking of posting links, sorry I can't resist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

In as much as I only come here for entertainment mostly, I've never seen a spammer. I have seen awful spelling though. This has to be by far, the worst forum for spelling I'm on. Guess no one uses IE Spell on here....lol

In order to add a hot link or post a photo a member must have made 5 posts then wait 24 hours.
Spammers generally tack nonsense messages on the end of old threads.
Long time members see these then use the little triangle on the lower left to send an alert message to the moderators.
Thus the forum becomes self filtering.
There has been a lot of potential spammers but as they have to make 5 posts then wait 24 hours we pick them up & the moderators toss the people off.
Some times they edit out the suspect posts, some times they don't .
Because there are members in every time zone potential spammer get picked up almost as soon as they are posted.
Much the same as with hackers and Linux, no mal wear lasts more than a few hours before detection then generally a patch is available in.

So you have seen them
"good post"
"Very informative"
Or a random text string pulled off the web.

SidecarFlip said:

In as much as I only come here for entertainment mostly, I've never seen a spammer. I have seen awful spelling though. This has to be by far, the worst forum for spelling I'm on. Guess no one uses IE Spell on here....lol

Click to expand...

So here you go Flip.
The second post in the following thread is a spammer
In this case he wants us to go to the web site .
There are several thousand members on this forum so if 1/2 of them are inquisitive enough to follow that link, it will raise it's position in search engines.
Either Ron is trying to sell his essay writing service or who ever owns the essay writing service has paid him to raise it's profile., if the address is actually an essay service & not a distribution site for malwear.


https://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/51203-JD-L120-Briggs-and-Stratton-engine-repair-governor

Bert:

My Trend Microservice AV running on the front end will not allow me to open any link it feels isn't kosher anyway. I can click on a link and it will not let me access it. Fine with me. Saves me any issue with a malicious site. Trend isn't cheap but works well.

I have problems with all of these security programmes.
They tend to make you lazy because " the computer will not allow any bad things to happen"
The problem with all of them is they rely on the nasty problem to be identified first by which time it can be too late.
I have 16 email accounts each one gets used for a specific reason .
Every day more spam appears, much of it apparently sent from addresses of people or groups I know, because URL spoofing is getting very sophisticated.
Spam, virus , ransom wear and other such items need to be identified first and some times this can take a week or more by which time it can be too late.
Professional cyber criminals buy every "protection" pack available then pull it apart looking for ways to circumvent it and generally they are successful if only for a short time.
SO don't sit there thinking you are protected & can flaunt around the web with immunity or not keep back ups on devices that are not connected to your computer 24/7.

There are 5 old computers in my LAN but only 2 are connected to the internet . One is the web server with all of my web pages on it, the other is my browser & email server.
Each of the computers except the internet connected ones run a RAID array with a 3 , 4, 5 or 6 way mirror but only 2 of the mirror discs are ever connected at any one time so no matter what happens there is always multiple back up discs.
Sounds complicated but they run through an old 36 port switch so it is just a matter of plugging in & pulling out the ethernet plugs then allowing the computer to update the old out of sync mirror to be the same as the current hard drives.

Mine runs totally in the background. The only time I get any notifications is when the site has a malicious content and then Trend won't allow me to access it unless I override the caution. I also have dark web security scan 2 times a month to track any intrusions. Unlike Morton Trend don't slow down the computer at all and I have the latest and greatest Dell with a chipset hard drive. It's insanely quick. My Cousin is a Dell commercial Dell dealer, I had him set up this computer and I run on his commercial license so I have full programmers software installed as well.

Don't use half the stuff on this machine.