How do you fight spam in your forum
 

So what hacks do you use to stop spam bots from registering and posting in your forums?

Lets see some suggestions on this :)

I use this hack here,
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=131568

Allows you to send posts to the moderation queue if they are from new users and contain certain keywords that you define.

I'm also working on another one to help process through the spam posts and ban the spammers with less clicks.

Personally, I like banning them myself. It is a satisfying experience. Yesterday I banned two while they were registering. That was quite fun. Silly fools need to learn not to use the words mobile or phone in their email address.

There is also a mod some people use that compares posts to an offsite database of spam. Not sure I would want that for each post though. Could eat up some bandwidth.

Ugh I cant even tell you how many times in the past few months we had to bann this mobile phone guys and their scams. The sad thing is they offer great deals on phones and it is a huge scam to collect people's money and jerk them.

I have tried incorporating some anti spam hacks to keep these spammers out!
I seriously despise spammers!

There are three types of spam you need to worry about: 1 = bots spamming your forum; 2 = spiders crawling your site for email addresses; 3 = members registering with website names. The other tips to prevent spam are somewhat already known

To prevent form 1)

I have a heavily censored board, (At least I think so) and whenever someone types in a "no-no" word, they get replaced with 'I love mysite.com, it is a great place..."). So even if bots register to spam, and post a message, there is a big chance it will be filtered out.
vbseo also helps with filtering out certain types of registrations.

To prevent form 2)
Place this button on your forum -> https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2007/01/27.jpg

It gives spiders who crawl your site for email addresses bogus emails.

To prevent form 3)
Go to your admincp and look at options panel, I believe it is the registration option or somethign related to users and look for where it ask you about user names or characters that are prohibited or something close to this -- to be used as user names.

Then, choose whether you want to prevent members from registering with www.look.com or whatever.


On number 3 above, I just choose to prevent users from registering with a period in their user names ----> . <---- But I allow www and http


Oh yeah, I'm not sure about your forum, but my forum is in an industry that is often times filled with scammers, hackers, phishers, and the like, so I also blocked executable files from being linked to my forum.

If you link www.mysite.com/clickhere.exe on my forum, the .exe will be replaced with the censorship message I have in place.

Also, if you get members that sign up to get signatures, make them do work and earn the signature, so that they don't spam your forum with their signatures.

For my forum it takes 50 "quality" post to be able to use a signature, earn a badge, and send private messages.


Also, you might want to look at modifications that make banning easier, as well as prevent certain "troublesome email addresses from signing up.

Oh yes, one last thing, turn off all if not most features for guest.
Install the hack that allows you to resolve an ip hidden behind a proxy.
And tell your members/guest that you can find their ips and will not hesitate to turn them into the appropriate authorities if need be.

I think a privacy statement covers that.

I use this and it works extremly well, havent had any spam showing to members since i installed it..Thanks SirAdrian.

thanks for tips, but i'm looking for something to do the work for me actually..

There're like 5-10 new spam messages from new bots posted on my forum every day and that would be too much work to ban them manually.

So I'm actually looking for some hacks to delete duplicate posts (since spammers are usually lazy and they post the same stuff all over) and some plugins to ay be disallow siggy links before a certain number of posts is reached..

You could get some decend moderators :p

For the signature, I use a promotion system.

If spammers are posting the same comments over and over, then use your censorship options and replace their comments with something else.

There is a lot you can do, admin wise that will do the trick.

A few forums prevent duplicate threads and post from being started. Mine does.

No one is spamming in my forum. :)

Send the spam my way, I need some new members! :D

lmao...............

In vb options >> user banning options add these email addresses to the list and that should cut out a few of the spammers

@mail.ru
phentermine_drug@msn.com
xxxfamoustoonshentai.com
freepizzamail.org
ukr.net
fromru.com
ass.com
web.de
rai.com.ua
inbox.lv
COGECO.COM
logic.bm
gala.net
ipod-apple.org
wallstjobs.com
mail15.com
stormloader.com
0gift.org
mail.bg
infect@gmail.com
russianbridesportal.net
anyboard.net
thepersonalshareware.com
usatodays.us
putoncondoms.com
tramadol@msn.com
@dolkern.com
@finance-here.biz
@mail333.com
@filki.com
phentermine@msn.com
@bigfatsearch.biz
@iqsearch.org
@bluevendor.com
@takemedsnow.net
@5crafts.com
@experthyips.com
@getamusic.com
@fountainpharm.com
@toonbeast.com
@plomerz.com
@advertads.com
@bestcdma.net
pharmacy@mail.com
@sibmail.com
@kisenfad.com
@i.ua
@alertonline.info
@casino-poker-web.com
@comuyt.net
cheap_viagra@msn.com
.ru
@hotpop.com
@advertfast.com
@giza.cc
@ua.fm
@freestuffo2.com
@burnacouplemore.com
.info
@1dating.biz
@thecannabishunter.com
@cvg8hette.com
@gyirbg.to
@cashette.com
@pisem.net
@users.1go.dk
@pu-blocker.com
@gawab.com
@++++shemale.net <<<< rhymes with luck
@freenet.de
@pharmahj.pl

The key to fighting the spam is to keep the spam bots from registering. This hack is the best hack at preventing them from registering.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=124828

Spam bots can do the image verification, but they can not think. Read up on/then install this hack and you will solve spam issues.

I have been working on reducing spam on my forums for some time, and I seem to have found a method of virtually eliminating spam from vBulletin forums... I wrote a tutorial on explaining how to do this.

[How To] Reduce spam on your forum

Its been working for me and I have cut spam down to nearly -ZERO- on my forums. Its a variety of hacks and it works.

thanks, installed this one, but it doesn't work for some reason.. :(

There is also this: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=135094

I use spam to highten the atmosphere of my site. The more users spam the more "damage" their character takes. Hit points hit zero, they can not post until their character regenerates at least one (in about 8 hours). They get experience to level up their character in the RP forums only, so the more they role play the more experience they get, they then can level up and receive more hit points, thus posting more. The more they rp, the more "spam" type posts they can make, but, if too much, their character will be thrown in cells and bid on as a "slave". And as spam bots can not create a character, they can not post, period.

Did you set it up correctly? Create your question?

I think by spam they mean bots (usually) registering and posting advertisements - not members being stupid (which is all too common on one of my sites) :p

You are correct. It is why I chose to explain how I handle spamming in general, and then how it stops spam-bots from making posts (the last line of my first post). It also helps deter new members who join to just advertise from doing so as well.

Ah OK - missed that. :)

To stop bots (as opposed to humans or human-assisted bots) from registering, the vB3.6(.4) Image verification (CAPTCHA) has not been broken yet if set to use some more advanced features (random font etc...). No modification needed for that.

Nice list, but you also cut out ALL Russian addresses.
Even mail.ru and web.de are oubtfull. Those are versions of hotmail. Used by spammers a lot, but also by valid users from those countries.

Edit: I use agressive mail banning and then block words like "login" they often use at free mail servers. This banned spammers effective enough to keep web.de open for example.
Banning single msn.com addresses is not that usefull I think. Spammers used that address a couple of days and then move to a new one.

I noticed that often the same IP addresses are used, so I ban those IP-addresses. After I started doing that, the amount of spammers grew less soon.

True...but it is VERY difficult for people to verify the image. I have 20/20 vision, and I struggle with Image Verification(CAPTCHA) on vbulletin boards. The current Image Verification is so tuff, it drives members away.

SPAM BOTS do not think. They process data. The simple solution is to create a question and answer. Then you do not need Image Verification. Look at the amount of posts in this and .com's forums about spam. Obviously its a problem on a lot of vBulletin boards. Perhaps vBulletin should rethink about adding the NO SPAM mod to their software.

I was looking for a mod to prevent users from using links in the signature until they reach a certain number of posts...

its weird, i been running a forum for 2 years now and i have never seen anything like this!

You dont need a mod for this, but it is easier with a mod if you don't know how to create it.

Create a user group titled "Signature allowed."

I require 50 post before a signature is allowed.

I use a 3rd party registration system that has stopped 100% of all spam before it starts

It will be an ongoing fight.
For now this mod works, but when it is udes often enough, then spammers will produce something to crack it. And they will be able to, since the question has to be something everyone can answer.

And that is why adding such a thing to standard vBulletin will never work. If all boards use it, spammers will only quicker find a solution to it.

How do you make it so your users can't have a link in their posts or signature unless they have 10 posts?

Pay mercenaries to hunt down the spammers and kill them.

j/k.

Have a good strong moderation staff, and if the person is a repeat offender, you can try sending their ISP an abuse email.

What bothers me about having to use hacks like that is this, while it's simple enough in theory for a new member joining to answer those questions posed. The problem is, it just adds even more to an already lengthy registration process. And can put possible new members off wanting to join, simply because they just can't be bothered with it all.

Make two usergroups.
One that has all rights you maximum want to give your members.
One that has some things turned off (like the BB code for images etc). Then use the promotions functions to have users promoted from the limited usergroup to the other after X posts. So set evaluation to posts instead of reputation.

That what I was just going to say. You'd have to make a new usergroup which standard members are moved too after so many posts. And disable the use of signatures in the standard members usergroup. But allow them in the new usergroup they get moved.

Just like the guy above said

add 163.com to that spammers list, they spam like crazy.

also add onestopsubmitshop.com and osss.com to that list. He'll come and spam your forums and PM your members like crazy

I am blocking every NON-us TLD as well as info and biz and a bunch of .com's maybe it will work for you, maybe it wont. It's kind of nice to not need visitors from other countries :)
Here is my list