SpamBot flooding the forums presently

[Steven L]

Is there some shortcut that exists in the member listings to alert the admins or mods to the presence of Bots when they join the forum?

We are under a flood of spam at the moment, and after reporting a handful of the posts, i began to wonder if there was a better or more direct way to get staff attention in real time as these attacks are occurring.

Just curious.

 

[jackiemac]

We do tend to see them ourselves but many come in at a time when US is asleep.

Usually one report is enough or send a message to one of the mods.

Thanks

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We have spam removal tools but there is no reliable way to identify which posts are spam except by eyeball. Most (but not all) of the staff is in North America, spread across 3 time zones, and typically one of us somewhere is online maybe 15 hours/day. Plus, Jackiemac adds to that coverage when she is at home. Spam never sleeps, though, so it sometimes goes undetected by the staff for a few hours. Thus reports from members are welcomed - it's a major reason for the REPORT button.

 

[Jayflight]

I wonder who in their right mind bites for the spam ads, which gives the people the incentive to post the stuff we have been seeing lately. The same applies to the spam calls, masked under fake numbers that applies to no live person.

 

[UTTransplant]

Thus reports from members are welcomed - it's a major reason for the REPORT button.

But I remember a post by Tom saying not to use the Report button because it was too bothersome to the moderators.

 

[Gizmo100]

But I remember a post by Tom saying not to use the Report button because it was too bothersome to the moderators.

I remember that comment by Tom as well...

 

[Tom]

But I remember a post by Tom saying not to use the Report button because it was too bothersome to the moderators.

Bothersome is not a term I'd have used, but let's put it in context. This morning, folks felt the need to report numerous spam posts, then multiply that by several folks reporting the same post(s). So, in addition to dealing with a flood of spam, we also had to deal with the numerous reports. Typically, one of us will see the spam but, if we miss it, a single report is usually sufficient to wake us up.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Bothersome is not a term I'd have used, but let's put it in context. This morning, folks felt the need to report numerous spam posts, then multiply that by several folks reporting the same post(s). So, in addition to dealing with a flood of spam, we also had to deal with the numerous reports. Typically, one of us will see the spam but, if we miss it, a single report is usually sufficient to wake us up.

I'm sure you understand the problem with that. There is no mechanism that lets us know a post has already been reported except for the reporter to post it. With the large number of spam posts from the current batch, that would obviously be an onerous task, and still doesn't account for reports made without opening the spam post.

 

[Tom]

I'm sure you understand the problem with that. There is no mechanism that lets us know a post has already been reported except for the reporter to post it. With the large number of spam posts from the current batch, that would obviously be an onerous task, and still doesn't account for reports made without opening the spam post.

Someone who hits the Report button countless times in a short space of time knows they already hit it.

If someone reports once, a second, third, or fourth person each reporting once is not the issue. I happened to be one of a couple of staffers who spent several hours dealing with the spam and the reports this morning. We were also dealing with would-be spammers trying to get logged into the forum. Quite honestly, I was about to disable the Report function until I could come up for air.

 

[UTTransplant]

This is the only forum I belong to where I don’t report issues. The moderators can find them or not, but I don’t report. Every other one I belong to encourages reports, but this one does not. I have a few times individually messaged a moderator for a questionable post, but not spam stuff. They are on their own.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Getting flooded with reports IS a nuisance but I hate to discourage member Reports. On the other hand, if you see an obvious spam like the recent rash and it's already a couple hours old when you see it, there is no need to Report it. It was probably reported within minutes by somebody and a staff member will get to it when he/she can. We aren't blind but we do sleep, eat, etc and sometimes it takes awhile to catch up.

 

[Rene T]

And there are a bunch more.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Someone who hits the Report button countless times in a short space of time knows they already hit it.

If someone reports once, a second, third, or fourth person each reporting once is not the issue. I happened to be one of a couple of staffers who spent several hours dealing with the spam and the reports this morning. We were also dealing with would-be spammers trying to get logged into the forum. Quite honestly, I was about to disable the Report function until I could up for air.

Hitting the button repeatedly should clearly not be done. If multiple reports from multiple users is not an issue, then that's good. Thank you and the others for the good work!

 

[SMR]

If I see that much spam I know the moderators have too. I have only reported a few not so obvious ones.
I do appreciate all they do for us, waking up to all that has to be frustrating.

 

[Steven L]

I'm sure you understand the problem with that. There is no mechanism that lets us know a post has already been reported except for the reporter to post it.

This is precisely why IN ADDITION to reporting a post, I take the extra 20 seconds while I'm in the affected thread to type 8 little letters, so that others who stop by are notified that is has already been...

Reported.

 

[NY_Dutch]

This is precisely why IN ADDITION to reporting a post, I take the extra 20 seconds while I'm in the affected thread to type 8 little letters, so that others who stop by are notified that is has already been...

Reported.

As I said...

 

[Steven L]

As I said...

Precisely... I was merely repeating your words for the folks in the back.

 

[Tom]

Hitting the button repeatedly should clearly not be done. If multiple reports from multiple users is not an issue, then that's good. Thank you and the others for the good work!

You might want to re-read what several staffers, including me, said.

As for "hiding" the Report button, that's a decision I'll make when we're buried with unnecessary/superfluous/duplicate reports and are trying to come up for air.

 

[Tom]

Getting flooded with reports IS a nuisance but I hate to discourage member Reports. On the other hand, if you see an obvious spam like the recent rash and it's already a couple hours old when you see it, there is no need to Report it. It was probably reported within minutes by somebody and a staff member will get to it when he/she can. We aren't blind but we do sleep, eat, etc and sometimes it takes awhile to catch up.

Well said Gary. I wonder if any of the complainers have any idea what we as staffers have to deal with when we're buried with spam and buried again with unnecessary/superfluous reports, and buried again with would-be spammers trying to get access to the forums.

 

[John From Detroit]

The good thing about the Spam we are getting is they are using "Fancy Fonts" so it's very clearly spam. plus a dozen or more messages that are basically identical save for one word in the subject line makes it clear.. Very easy to ignore the ...er... stuff... and just scroll past it.