Spam Update - and Staying Safe Online

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DM090820

Hello everyone,

We've noticed an uptick in spam registrations recently. We've
managed to stop most of them from making it through, and we've
taken measures to make it harder for them to register. As more people
are connecting through work VPNs, it's also become harder to detect them
as their tactics evolve. We've all been working very hard this week, and it seems
we've managed to slow them down for now.

We will continue to monitor the situation, and make adjustments to keep everyone
safe.

We've also noticed a new tactic where a spammer attempts to engage
in seemingly legitimate activity on the forum to build credibility
before attempting their end goal. Users should of course note that
this same tactic is used by all types of cyber-criminals, and you should
be wary of any unexpected or unusual posts or private messages, and report anything you find
suspicious via the report system.

The links spammers post these days are almost always with the intent to defraud
or to cause a user to download malicious software.

With the pandemic conditions, many people are working from home with access to
sensitive data, and many elderly people are experiencing technology for the first
time, which makes for both compelling and easy targets. It's therefore a good idea
to refamiliarise yourself with cybersecurity basics, so that you can protect yourself
and others that may be more vulnerable than you:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) - staying safe online

With COVID there are also real world consequences to fake news, although
alternative media certainly has its place, you have no way of knowing who
runs it, what their goal is or their credibility, we will shortly see a report
released which is likely to suggest a nation (a big one to the east of Poland), has
been manipulating social media and creating 'independent' news sources in the interests
of their foreign policy aims. The most effective form of propaganda, aims to subtly nudge you
in a certain direction.

When evaluating the reliability of a source, try watching a few videos like the one below:


Sorry for the length of the this post.

Falken.
 
Merab's Slave said:
Thanks for the warning @Falken, it’s good to have the reminder.
Well done staff for picking up and dealing with spammers so quickly.
We should also remember that the safety of the forum is a shared responsibility.
Click to expand...

Absolutely 👍 if in doubt hit the report button. We'd rather dismiss a handful of reports that don't warrant any action than allow one spammer or troll to upset folk on here
 
Serious hats off to all the staff the past few weeks, and to Falken for implementing some changes. It has been pretty relentless behind the scenes but we do think this has cracked it.

Please keep reporting anything odd as Kelly said we'd rather you report than not.

Big thank you to you all, you are such a great bunch and make our lives easier by alerting us when things seem a little off. You are a lovely bunch x
 
Also, I forgot to add to the original posts - I'd like to thank those members that've assisted us in overcoming this challenge over the past week by making reports - although as is always the case with reports, they will remain anonymous, so they're very much the unsung heroes.
 
We have certainly been busy behind the scenes and are hugely grateful to @Falken who has talked cyber gobbledygook to us in the staff room and then tweaked and twiddled with the forum’s knobs and functions to keep us all safe during these attacks. And the rest of us have unleashed our investigative skills a la Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot and have donned the marigolds to do some banning and cleaning up.
Please do stay alert and hit the report button if you have any doubts at all.
 
A massive thanks to all admin people who run and help this forum. . . all work done and hours spent doing it. :nod:
Been a victim myself not checking information correctly . . :doh:
Seriously guys thanks .
If piggies could read and text they would also say "wheek wheek" :clap::luv:
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
Never mind spammers and dodgy links, what's going on with these grandiose job titles you admins are giving yourselves, eh @BossHogg and @Falken ? I hope you're not expecting a pay rise to go with them 😉😆
Click to expand...

Events dearest @Qualcast&Flymo :) We felt it was best to diversify our roles to best achieve our performance metrics when interfacing with the interacting arising situations.

Even the Babylonions realised that 0 * X = 0 (or in computer science NAN).
 
Falken said:
Events dearest @Qualcast&Flymo :) We felt it was best to diversify our roles to best achieve our performance metrics when interfacing with the interacting arising situations.
Click to expand...
So instead of both of you dealing with those naughty spammers, you tell BossHogg to do them, and that way they all get banned faster... hmmm sounds a bit like certain organisations to me, more pointless managers than useful workers ...
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
So instead of both of you dealing with those naughty spammers, you tell BossHogg to do them, and that way they all get banned faster... hmmm sounds a bit like certain organisations to me, more pointless managers than useful workers ...
Click to expand...

:) No, he interfaces on an interpersonal and dynamic level, I then explain why he's chosen to take the action that I have no idea of, we're not an LA highways department, yet.
 
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