Alert! Danger! Warning! A new tactic by bots...

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I run a shooting forum, and we don’t have this issue at all. I must approve all new members. Fakers snd bots are easily spotted at registration.

I have registration time software that helps me. The folks st Stop Forum Spam are tracking internet scoundrels and tagging them.

Without that first access it’s very hard for them to impersonate members.

99 of 100 prospective members are all spammers, bots or trolls.
 
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So this is a typical example of what I see as an admin.
E6651D03-E96D-4163-9AD2-6A336322566A.jpeg
This troll has had their ip address banned by other participating forums 243 times, and their e-mail banned over 11,000 times.

“Do Nothing” is the default action, so everybody remains in Limbo, until I click ”Approve”. Over 1000 applicants are still there waiting.
 
Has anybody seen any posts from me lately which have been full of useless drivel?
Okay, this ^ post has to be a bot.

I cannot believe that the real Esox could possibly be foolish enough to leave me this opening by accident. I mean, it's tempting, I suppose, in an obvious kind of way, but...nah, just too easy. Gotta be fake.

I don't shoot sitting birds. 😎
 
I must approve all new members. Fakers and bots are easily spotted at registration...
99 of 100 prospective members are all spammers, bots or trolls.
I find this ^ terrifying. We all know the problem exists, but I had no idea it was this bad.

I visit a Canadian shooting forum, and an obvious bot there is a rarity. The very occasional such post that crops up disappears in short order, but generally speaking I can go many weeks at a time, scanning that forum daily, using the Equipment Exchange feature a bunch, and never see an obvious bot post.

Here on MFK they are seen all the time.

This is starting to give me an appreciation for how much actual human attention and interaction needs to go into keeping a forum free of bots. I guess it's still true: if you want something done right...
 
I cannot believe that the real Esox could possibly be foolish enough to leave me this opening by accident.

Ah, but you see my post had two parts to it. The initial part which you quoted, and yes, viewed alone that first part leaves me wide open to a barrage of ridicule from yourself and others, though when you're about you don't need others, and the second part in which I beat you to the punchline at my own expense!!

You see, I knew you were going to get me.....so I got myself before you had the chance, lol.
 
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