New user got activated automatically in spite of forum having manual activation setting?

Hello,

At my forum (http://reylo.skyforum.net) we have things set up so that the admin manually activates new users - this option is still selected now. This is important to us because we get trolled enough as it is. For each new account that gets created the admin gets 2 emails: one notification of a new user registration (with a link to view their profile) and one notification of a new user account (with a link to activate their account).

Yesterday we had a user join, and he was automatically activated. I'm the only admin right now and I didn't activate him. I also verified in our log of administrator actions that no one manually activated him. I also checked my email and saw that I only got one email about this: the new user registration notice with a link to view their profile; I didn't get the second email with the activation link for this user.

I just went ahead and created a test account to see whether it would auto-activate, and it did not. In my admin email I received the same 2 emails as usual.

Is there any way to verify whether the user who got auto-activated did so because of a glitch? It's weird and a little unsettling to us. Any help appreciated. Thanks!

Did this member use Topic'It?  Also do you have Facebook Connect activated?

SLGray wrote:Did this member use Topic'It?

I don't know. He hasn't posted anything. I can ask him.
Would registering through Topic'It bypass the manual activation setup?

I believe it does.  You do know that you can create a group and then have it where members who join by using Topic'It will be automatically added to the group?

I just noticed something in my screenshot.  Look at the option above the create a group option.

SLGray wrote:I believe it does.  You do know that you can create a group and then have it where members who join by using Topic'It will be automatically added to the group?

I didn't know this; I haven't used the app and don't know much about it. I guess I will check it out now. XD
We only have one member posting through the app in the entire forum, to my knowledge.
Is there a way to disable the auto-activation through Topic'It?

ETA: oh, thanks for the screenshot. I am guessing I can go in an de-select automatically activate users through Topic'It.

We don't have Facebook Connect activated, by the way.

ETA2:

SLGray wrote:I just noticed something in my screenshot.  Look at the option above the create a group option.

Ha, I just saw it too. ^^
Thanks so much!

Setting the option to no makes the registration process how you set it in the AP.

SLGray wrote:Did you read my reply after the screenshot?

Yes, thank you. Sorry, didn't want to double post, lol.
I will go in and de-select it that option. Thanks for your help!

You're welcome.  Now you will need to find out if this member used Topic'It.

SLGray wrote:You're welcome.  Now you will need to find out if this member used Topic'It.

Yeah, I sent him a message to find out. I'm thinking that's probably it, because the Topic'It configuration at my forum was set up to allow auto-activation of accounts through the app.

Still, it's good to confirm.

We will wait for your reply before archiving this topic.

@SLGray, Please go ahead and archive it - we sent the user a couple of messages and they didn't reply in spite of having logged on. We decided to delete the account. If they have good intentions they can register again and answer the screening questions like everyone else.

We are a little paranoid because we have a disgruntled former member who has come back to the forum 7 times after being banned in October 2016. They have used different emails and they disguise their IP. In July they sent a mass PM to all of our members lying about the staff (saying stuff like "the staff reads your PMs" etc, which is just dumb). We recently found out that the problem user got banned at two other Star Wars forums so we are expecting them to drop by our site since they have nowhere to go. We prefer to be overly cautious rather than take a risk in this case.

I did disable the Topic'It auto-activation, which was enabled before. Thanks for all your help!

OK

Problem solved & topic archived. Please read our forum rules:  ESF General Rules