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Andrew Reid
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OK, here is what they're up to.

I thought it was weird that the plausible posts didn't have any links in them and initially thought that we had managed to attract the most incompetent spammers on the internet (aside from the Conservative party's latest efforts obviously).

What they do is get a second spammer (or themselves) to quote the first post and tag the link for whatever shite it is they're pushing on to the end of the quote.

At first it looks like its a legitimate reply but the posts will have positive replies such as "Issue got solved" or "Agreed!" because it entices someone to click the link to find out what the solution was etc. which is what their game is.

Here are two recent examples from the "Century Optics" and "50mm" thread.

The posts quoted did not have the links in originally.

1292884179_ScreenShot2019-11-06at10_53_10.thumb.png.d133f9aeff2a47343659bf3e07568131.png

755114996_ScreenShot2019-11-06at10_52_44.thumb.png.093ded640fbe8dd6b396d593d4244c99.png

They are obviously wise to the fact that the first posts will get moderated so anything with a dodgy link in will be deleted so thats why they don't put it in that but use the reply system to insert them.

I would guess that there are a lot of "clean" accounts set up to do the first post and then they'll just use multiple other accounts to add the links in to replies.

This makes it look like the one replying is the spammer when in actual fact they both are.

Can I make a request to not ban the one who posts the pieces about chains though as I find it offers a good perspective for when my own life is at its most tedious and dull to think "yeah but at least I don't have to write about chains. Or worse still, be so far down the spamming ladder that I get given that as source material in bot farm when all my other bot mates are out there preaching about penis enlargement"

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2 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

OK, here is what they're up to.

I thought it was weird that the plausible posts didn't have any links in them and initially thought that we had managed to attract the most incompetent spammers on the internet (aside from the Conservative party's latest efforts obviously).

What they do is get a second spammer (or themselves) to quote the first post and tag the link for whatever shite it is they're pushing on to the end of the quote.

At first it looks like its a legitimate reply but the posts will have positive replies such as "Issue got solved" or "Agreed!" because it entices someone to click the link to find out what the solution was etc. which is what their game is.

Here are two recent examples from the "Century Optics" and "50mm" thread.

The posts quoted did not have the links in originally.

1292884179_ScreenShot2019-11-06at10_53_10.thumb.png.d133f9aeff2a47343659bf3e07568131.png

755114996_ScreenShot2019-11-06at10_52_44.thumb.png.093ded640fbe8dd6b396d593d4244c99.png

They are obviously wise to the fact that the first posts will get moderated so anything with a dodgy link in will be deleted so thats why they don't put it in that but use the reply system to insert them.

I would guess that there are a lot of "clean" accounts set up to do the first post and then they'll just use multiple other accounts to add the links in to replies.

This makes it look like the one replying is the spammer when in actual fact they both are.

Can I make a request to not ban the one who posts the pieces about chains though as I find it offers a good perspective for when my own life is at its most tedious and dull to think "yeah but at least I don't have to write about chains. Or worse still, be so far down the spamming ladder that I get given that as source material in bot farm when all my other bot mates are out there preaching about penis enlargement"

Speaking as one of the spam bots myself (see above) this makes sense, and as a bot who didn't post any spam links, I did always wonder WTH we were doing!

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3 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

OK, here is what they're up to.

I thought it was weird that the plausible posts didn't have any links in them and initially thought that we had managed to attract the most incompetent spammers on the internet (aside from the Conservative party's latest efforts obviously).

What they do is get a second spammer (or themselves) to quote the first post and tag the link for whatever shite it is they're pushing on to the end of the quote.

You are correct... And also the first posts are often cut & paste from Reddit, so I am doing Google searches now to screen those out.

It's a pity the Google Captcha and email verification aren't enough to stop them creating an account in the first place.

I'll see what else there is to make that more robust.

One day I hope to leave my AI to fight off enemy AI, and leave us to get on with using the forum in peace!!

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7 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

I don't know who to trust anymore! 

5sh6akurk1h26hk2.jpg

This is the internet.  I'm not sure that trust is compatible!

(it never was anywhere else either, because the problem with trust is human beings, but never mind that.....)

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The really sneaky way I've seen is them post an innocent enough thread....  so nobody thinks it is suspicious, as there are no fishy links in it. 

THEN....  they go back and edit it later to insert in links!

On 11/7/2019 at 3:08 AM, Adam Kuźniar said:

Maybe add a "your post needs to be accepted by a moderator because you have less than someamountoftime or someoneamountofposts"


That adds a lot of work though for the moderator/Andrew

Is perhaps better this system, only a handful are getting through, and let use users handle spotting and reporting them. 

 

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