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Update on the spam situation

Anil A - Mod

As some of you may be aware, we've had issues recently with automated programs flooding our forums with passport/fake document scams. 

In order to prevent this, we're in the process of implementing & testing a new anti-spam module for our community over the coming weeks. This module will scan posts for anything resembling spam and will hide anything that it confirms as such. If it's unsure of whether it's spam or not, it'll present you with a "CAPTCHA", where you fill in the letters/numbers presented to you and you'll be able to submit your post. It'll have an audio option to keep it accessible. 

It's quite a sophisticated bit of software, and it's very rare it'll ever hide your posts. On occasion it'll present you with the "CAPTCHA" to fill in, but we imagine this won't be very often at all.    

We're open to feedback about this system & if you have any issues with it, please do contact us on community.manager@nas.org.uk.

 

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  • Agreed, Paull's idea may be the better solution - just give us a more effective way of flagging up spam.

    Incidentally we had a weird one within the last twenty-four hours - apparently selling cash repayment loans, but written in goodness knows what translation - it has vanished so I guess it was spam.

    One of the problems with the fake passports gang, and indeed most others, is they do it at weekends, particularly holiday weekends. It can be twenty-four hours or even the whole weekend before NAS moderators spot it, which is why several of us endeavour to dilute the effect by creating new threads.

    If as Paull suggests, a certain quota of spam clicks suspended the offending item until the moderators could check, that might be very effective.

    Also remember, with the fake passports lot, they do a number of sites every week, I think working through the alphabet. There's a lot of people out there fed up with them - not just us. Can't forums act collectively?

    And then there's a government, that private club we pay all out taxes to - can't they take action against the host countries from which this rubbish comes - like ban them from access to the internet? It must be possible if there is an agreement amongst affected countries. But then same applies to those emails telling us we've been specially chosen to moneylaunder some cash, or that Royal Mail is holding a parcel back unless we send our bank account details (which is the latest one) - can't our government just close down relations with the banana republic in question, until they sort out their criminal activities.

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  • Agreed, Paull's idea may be the better solution - just give us a more effective way of flagging up spam.

    Incidentally we had a weird one within the last twenty-four hours - apparently selling cash repayment loans, but written in goodness knows what translation - it has vanished so I guess it was spam.

    One of the problems with the fake passports gang, and indeed most others, is they do it at weekends, particularly holiday weekends. It can be twenty-four hours or even the whole weekend before NAS moderators spot it, which is why several of us endeavour to dilute the effect by creating new threads.

    If as Paull suggests, a certain quota of spam clicks suspended the offending item until the moderators could check, that might be very effective.

    Also remember, with the fake passports lot, they do a number of sites every week, I think working through the alphabet. There's a lot of people out there fed up with them - not just us. Can't forums act collectively?

    And then there's a government, that private club we pay all out taxes to - can't they take action against the host countries from which this rubbish comes - like ban them from access to the internet? It must be possible if there is an agreement amongst affected countries. But then same applies to those emails telling us we've been specially chosen to moneylaunder some cash, or that Royal Mail is holding a parcel back unless we send our bank account details (which is the latest one) - can't our government just close down relations with the banana republic in question, until they sort out their criminal activities.

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