Forum Spammer, Hurting My Community

Hello, my name is Drew.

I have a forum made with Forumotion and I have been getting this spammer that comes and spams pornographic images all over the forum. This has happened several times by the same person and he will not stop. What he is spamming is pornographic images which is against the ToS and should not be on any forum. I have even been reported by people saying that there is pornography on my forum and acting like its my fault. I was wondering if anyone that has the power to, help me out with this situation.

What I have tried to do was IP ban him, and that did not work because he now used a proxy and continues making accounts and spamming while I am away from the forum.

I am sorry if this is in the wrong section, but I would really appreciate the help.


Thank you,
Drew

Keep banning each account he/she creates. Also have it where an administrator has to approve new registrations.

Ban his IP.

Hi,

Once he's using a proxy, there's no real way to stop him

However, here's a few way's I'd implement if I were in your shoe's.

1) Flood control - Admin panel >> general > Security > Flood control. (I'd recommend 30 secs, any longer and it annoys me personally... )

2) Prohibit registered members for less than a week to post external links and emails : = Yes
Please note that it will stop all new users under 1 week, and excludes admin/mods, and current members.

3) IP address accounts creation limit, for each 24 hours
better to be safe then sorry, just incase somehow the proxy returns with the same IP. Unlikely though.

4) Look up the URL of his pics, and if there's anything similar, copy it, lets censor it
Admin panel >> General > Word Censor > Create new, and insert it how you wish

5) If he's using similar names, use a wildcard and censor it.
Hit the "Username censor" option, and put a '*' before and after his name.
Though he will most likely create a new name from now on.

6) Admin panel >> Users & Groups > User Options > New accounts activation = Admin, however, if he's using a fake email, set it to user.

7) Confirmation Code = Yes
Basically show a CAPATCHA image during registration

8] Allow members to unsubscribe : = No.
So he can't delete himself, and re-register with the name name.

9) Only use this option if your super keen to stop and and willing to go to the extremes.
Allow new members = No (Remember this is an extreme option!)

10) I forgot to mention this earlier
It's sort of a 'dog house' feature thing.
Create a new group (Name it "Genuine members"), where you add new members, so you want to set it to automatic first (So so you don't have to add in everyone manually), then set it to some ridicules number like 1000 posts so a spammer cannot get into it, then create your new forum where new members have to post into to get confirmed as a genuine member, and set the forum up.

Now, the rest of your forums must be set so only the members of the group we just made up "Genuine members" can see only them. anyone not in that group cannot see any other forums, just the initial one.
And save.
Oh, don't forget to change the group "Genuine members" to non-auto subscribe, or subscribe at 1000 posts at the end of it all. You don't want the spammer to get into that group.



I wish you the best of luck to kick him off your forum

Put him in the dog house if he is using a proxy.

that means you create a board and group. you place him in the group, then you set the boards permissions to block all options.. so he is just stuck there, he cant post. he cant pm he,he has no access to other forums, HE dose nothing.

then create welocme board to where all of your new members must post and introduce there self's fist before gaining access to the rest of the forum.

This will allow you to check ip first. even if he is using a proxy it will come up with members that have used the proxy and or other ip's.. that means 99% of the time it's the same person trying to get in again.

so send his but to the dog house and keep doing it.. sooner or latter he will get sick of trying and just leave.

other then everything else forumotion has put in place now. and what else has been suggested above.. thats about all you can do.

he is going to get tired of creating new email accounts as well.

And honesty.. this unsubscribe tool should not even be mentioned here.
Sure we are not denying it's existence and will give the info if someone ask.
But it's not something that needs to be announced because it's going to cause more and more people to know this and do the same stuff.

By law if someone request to have their accounts deleted then the admin of the board has to honor it.

But there is no law saying we have to tell people about the dreaded unsubscribe tool.

That dang tool is a administrators worst nightmare... HAHAHH LOL seriously though
INFO ADDED

Darren1 wrote:

10) I forgot to mention this earlier
It's sort of a 'dog house' feature thing.
Create a new group (Name it "Genuine members"), where you add new members, so you want to set it to automatic first (So so you don't have to add in everyone manually), then set it to some ridicules number like 1000 posts so a spammer cannot get into it, then create your new forum where new members have to post into to get confirmed as a genuine member, and set the forum up.

Now, the rest of your forums must be set so only the members of the group we just made up "Genuine members" can see only them. anyone not in that group cannot see any other forums, just the initial one.
And save.
Oh, don't forget to change the group "Genuine members" to non-auto subscribe, or subscribe at 1000 posts at the end of it all. You don't want the spammer to get into that group.



I wish you the best of luck to kick him off your forum

OH SHOOT,
Sorry Daren i dint get to read your whole reply before i posted... lol my bad.
And looks like i got mixed up about soemone mentioning the unsubscribe tool thing.. oops my bad bad, anyway that can sty so other staff see it and may be we can come to a decision not to mention that unless someone ask about it.

Anyway just for the record.
I am the soul creator of the silly dog house method/idea.
It's old, And i came up with this long before we had some of the options we have now.
i used to have a models forum on a paid phpbb board about ten or so years ago, and people were posting stuff that was not allowed,using proxies,being jerks and kept returning, so finally came up with that and it merely brought them all to a halt and that was the end of that...
And you know it's piratical.. but can be efficient when everything else seems to fail, and depending if they change proxies up. they can still slip through.. but then you just put them there again.. And you do this for all members that you have to ban.. and you dont even have to ban them now, because they are just stuck there anyway.On a dead board with no permissions to do anything.. sounds cruel.. but they brought it on their self's for not following your forums rule..And you dont want to get shut down for some dope that keeps posting stuff you may not be able to keep up with, TRUE DAT

However be sure to ban the ip and or emails of course.

But whatever the case you have to give forumotion props on some of the new features they have added to better help slow people like this down.. But you know? Once again nothing is ever 100%.. However, i am sure they will continue to come up with as many ways possible for future updates

Thank you very much for your help. This will probably make him bored. I have set the post time to 90 seconds, so that should clear things up. I cannot end members from joining unless I choose to do it for a week or so before my advertising starts. I love Kirk's idea of making a dog house, I will defiantly do that.

Anyways thanks again! If my site does get reported to forumotion though for pornography, you guys wont take the site down, right?

You will have to keep a close eye on your forum to make sure that anything illegal is quickly removed.