Spammers

[Bolaberlim]

I don't know if this thread is appropriate...if it isn't .. sorry!
Just about everyday I see one or two threads started by spammers. They usually contain a link, but the text is usually so ridiculous that I have to wonder what are they thinking!

Today I found this little gem here on the cafe:

"Bikini hair removal can be achieved in a variety of ways. Some of the more popular ways of removing unwanted hair on the bikini line are wet shaving with a regular razor blade, shaving with an electric shaver, waxing and laser hair removal."

Really? And what about email? Apparently I am in dire need of enlargement, already won millions, have a inheritance in Nigeria, have as much free ipads and iphones as I'll ever want, and a lot of other stuff.

Does anyone fall for this stuff? What is the most ridiculous spam pitch you've been served? Stupid stuff only, let's not give these guys any ideas!

[Ray MacDonald]

Please report spam as soon as you see it and we'll deal with it. The innocent looking "watch TV shows online" spam can be a source of malware or phishing for your credit card info.

[DPflaumer]

I get a ton of messages to my phone, presumable directed to the previous owner of the number as I get several calls a week for Juan and Alejandro, despite my having the number for the last 5 years.

My favorites are the "You got one of XXXX free $XXXX gift cards for _______ store"

[GinGinD]

We do the best we can to get the spammers as quickly as possible. It helps when members report them. We have experimented with a couple of different filters, but everything we've tried has unintended consequences for regular members. We've decided we'd rather deal with the spam than cause issues for regular members trying to post.

As far as who falls for that stuff, I read an interesting article yesterday that said scammers deliberately look suspicious as that helps them weed out the savvier recipients. The people who respond despite the typos and misspellings and cheesy story are likely to be the types of people they can actually string along.

This is not the actual story I read (which I can no longer find), but it's about the same study:

Solved: Why email scammers say they're from Nigeria | Information, Gadgets, Mobile Phones News & Reviews | News.com.au

Jeannie

[Bolaberlim]

We do the best we can to get the spammers as quickly as possible. It helps when members report them. We have experimented with a couple of different filters, but everything we've tried has unintended consequences for regular members. We've decided we'd rather deal with the spam than cause issues for regular members trying to post.

As far as who falls for that stuff, I read an interesting article yesterday that said scammers deliberately look suspicious as that helps them weed out the savvier recipients. The people who respond despite the typos and misspellings and cheesy story are likely to be the types of people they can actually string along.

This is not the actual story I read (which I can no longer find), but it's about the same study:

Solved: Why email scammers say they're from Nigeria | Information, Gadgets, Mobile Phones News & Reviews | News.com.au

Jeannie

I report spammers here on wus very often, and I always wonder why they bother, because they are really obvious. This at least explains a little of their process. I agree that it's better to delete the posts, as they aren't that intrusive to begin with.

[GinGinD]

I report spammers here on wus very often

I know you do and we really appreciate it.

Jeannie

[DPflaumer]

I try to be good about it too. And you guys do a great job.

[Ray MacDonald]

We'd never catch as much as we do without member reports. We really need your help and are grateful for any assistance you give.

[portauto]

So here's a question.. why let users post links in their very first posting? Maybe introduce a waiting period, or minimum post count? Or have a dedicated Newbie forum for users to post introductions first to weed out the obvious spammers?

Kindest Regards,
Portauto

[Ray MacDonald]

All of the above have been discussed at one point or other and we feel that we'd be inconveniencing the new members just to make life easier for us. Banning the IPs of habitual spammers works but that can also catch innocent people from the spammer's country.
As for a newbie forum we think that's demeaning. Who qualifies as a newbie anyway? What if a major watch manufacturer decides to join? Would that person be a newbie?
As Jeannie already mentioned, automated spam filtering is a nightmare for everyone involved.