Abuse of Gmail Accounts

We have seen two types of abuse of this forum over the last few months:

1. Users creating fake identities
2. Search Engine Optimisers posting messages with links to raise the profile of their customer's websites

While this is still a 'dribble,' rather than a tide, new forum members with gmail or other 'free' email addresses may be contacted directly by email before we can approve their first posting.

Neil

Chris,

I would have to fully agree with you on this but in all fairness on one forum I actually have an account called sock puppet as well as my own

Everyone knows it's me, including management and is used in light hearted replies and one liners.

The fake identities is a problem and goes far deeper than many realise, I also moderate on a couple of other forums and when you start cross checking IP address's between forums the full depth of the deception really shows up.

I have also contacted moderators on other forums which I don't use but guess the imposters does and again they are there under different names.

It's rather sad and pathetic really that they need to go this route.

Shows a total lack of intelligence too as it isn't hard to spoof an IP address.

I host a couple of quite serious websites and a number of forums. Amazing how effective a ban on a whole netblock is. I banned the whole of China earlier this year and just last week banned all *.asia addresses. It quietens things down for a while. I am fully aware (I am a "responsible" sysadmin after all!?) how a full netblock ban can have unwanted consequences BUT it far outweighs the benefits of having those IP addresses see the server(s) and i do this in consultation with the website owners and their technical advisors.

In March this year I hit an anniversary - I have been hosting my own websites for more than twenty years now and feel fully qualified in saying - "I have seen it all". The single biggest thing, including Cloud Computing that I have seen benefit the Internet generally is DNC or Distributed Network Computing. If you have no need for all the bells and whistles you can get a free account at CloudFlare and if you have control over your DNS I would advise you to look into this. My Cloud Instance is on the same slice as WebhostingTalk (Big Internet Geeky Forum) so I have worked out what is best for me and my clients and we all came to the same conclusion at the same time. Pleased me no end because I can be slow on the uptake sometimes

graham
(knows nothing about the 'tinternet)

graham.

On another forum(Stirlingengineforum), we have just fended off a raid from China, they filled two full pages. Problem was that the site owner was stuck in bed with the flu, and a temperature of 103*F, and didn't realise what was going on until I sent him an email. This raid not as bad as previous ones that shut the site down. When Daryl asked for moderators, a year or so ago, I thought about it -----for about a minute, but with my knowledge of IT I said no.

Ian S C

Pays to have moderators from different continents, that way someone is usually up and able to deal with the problems.

I have taken 8 off this site this morning and banned two *members* and that's probably after Jason checked earlier and went to work.

I can put them back on if anyone is looking for a fake football jersey.

I'm afraid spam is something we are stuck with, the grass roots members problem is another matter.

There's a 'blue' search engine optimisation company based in Colmore Row Birmingham.

They have the face to register accounts using gmail addresses with their company name in.

I have emailed them saying that if they don't stop, each occurrence will be replaced by a message explaining what they have done.

Neil