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Spammers here in The Pit

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    Spammers here in The Pit

    This is a copy & re-post of a topic Meathead created many months ago. I'm re-posting it to add a few more details to what was posted prior.


    Once in a while we see spammers in The Pit. Here are signs of spam:
    1. It just sounds funny. Often it's full of broken English and poor grammar. Google Translate perhaps.
    2. It comes from a Trial Member. Spammers don’t pay to spam.
    3. They have a low post count.
    4. They've made rapid-fire posts as soon as they joined- 2, 3, 4, 5 or more posts often right after joining.
    5. They resurrect old topics to make a random, often one-line comment out of the blue.
    6. #s 4 & 5 are them trying to blend in, as if we can't tell.
    7. They post a link to some website- this is what makes them a spammer.
    Sometimes right away there is a link to some website, maybe a food or grill-themed site, maybe not. Please, do not EVER click on any questionable links!

    Another tactic they're using is to make a bunch of posts, seemingly harmless (but you can quite often tell they're spammers, see #1-5 above) without any spam links at first. THEN they will come back and edit their posts later and insert a spam link. Don't worry, we're wise to this.

    We ban spammers as soon as we spot them, at least as soon as they prove themselves to be spammers. Trouble is we can't always be logged in 24/7, so if you spot spam rest assured we will spot it too and we will ban them soon enough.

    I get email reports hourly of Free Trial members who post links. Even if they've edited their earlier posts to add a link later on, I still get notified. So I try my best to stay on top of it. Of course I can't always be online, so sometimes it may take hours to the point that it looks like we've missed it. If I can't be online, Jerod, Spinaker & Meathead will often see them and delete them.

    Lastly, calling out a potential spammer with rude or sarcastic comments to them might not be the best thing to do. Sure, it's usually true if it smells fishy then it's a fish...but perhaps someone with broken English will join as a legitimate Trial Member and wants to say hi. Automatically suspecting they're a spammer, and telling them so, might not be a very warm welcome if they are here for real. If they are a spammer, then they really couldn't care less what you say to them so it's moot anyway.

    #2
    Appreciate the update.
    i are knot a spamr butt heers a grate linc:

    Comment


      #3
      And then suddenly there's a gofundme request. Caveat Emptor.

      Comment


        #4
        Seems like all the signs point directly to Panhead John. Could he be a foreign agent incognito?

        Comment


        • Steve B
          Steve B commented
          Editing a comment
          My thoughts exactly. 😂😂😂

        • Andrrr
          Andrrr commented
          Editing a comment
          Well he surly applies for #4. He started rapid firing posts from day one but hasn't slowed down.

        #5
        I agree - we need to be cautious with suspected spammers. I was guilty of less than kind comments when these types of posts first appeared, but thought about it and this is what I post now:

        "If you are for real, I apologize in advance, but we get a lot of spammers trying to sneak in by posting on old threads. So, if you are truly interested in what this site has to offer because you like to grill and/or BBQ, welcome and tell us what you are cooking on and what you like to cook."

        I saved it and all I have to do is either paste if I haven't saved something else since posting it, (like a link), or copy and paste.

        Comment


        • FireMan
          FireMan commented
          Editing a comment
          Oh yeah? Yer mama wears army boots!

        #6
        I’ve been busted!

        Comment


        • Panhead John
          Panhead John commented
          Editing a comment
          bbqLuv Uuh, have you SEEN my cooking pics? Do those look like I swiped em from somewhere else? 😂

        • FireMan
          FireMan commented
          Editing a comment
          Panhead John ease up with the Chrz master lest we ferget "The Steak".

        • Panhead John
          Panhead John commented
          Editing a comment
          There’s 3 things I’ll never forget as long as I live. 1. Synodog’s flaming grill picture he posted at SUWYC the spoof channel 2. ecowper ‘s infamous What Do You Put In Your Chili post from last winter and
          3. Richard Chrz ‘s supposed "Steak" picture.

        #7
        Okay I'll fess up also. I'm your uncle from Nigeria!

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          Where should I wire the money?

        • Panhead John
          Panhead John commented
          Editing a comment
          Panhead John
          Houston, Tex. 77000
          Acct.# 6969

          Or I also accept payment in Amazon gift cards.

        #8
        I don't know, Panhead John doesn't seem that bad to me.

        Comment


        • Panhead John
          Panhead John commented
          Editing a comment
          Attjack If you’ll just give me your CC numbers I’ll go ahead and get that extended warranty going for you.

        #9
        Panhead John gets a nod of respect. Even arranging Meat-Ups, never seen a scammer so devoted to the long con.

        Comment


        • CaptainMike
          CaptainMike commented
          Editing a comment
          You'll only know if you go!

        #10
        Click image for larger version

Name:	image_150097.jpg
Views:	762
Size:	30.8 KB
ID:	1068735 I have a confession fellow Pit Folks..SOAB is a closet spammer. Please don't judge me too harshly.

        Comment


        • Steve B
          Steve B commented
          Editing a comment
          Oh boy. Do you know what you have done?
          You might just have unleashed the beast.
          I’m not conjuring him up but???
          Spinaker 😬😳😁😂

        • Spinaker
          Spinaker commented
          Editing a comment
          I am also a SPAMer. Love the stuff, grew up on it and still eat it.

        • Bkhuna
          Bkhuna commented
          Editing a comment
          My favorite is Lobster thermidor aux crevettes with a Mornay sauce garnished with truffle pâté, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.

        #11
        So we shouldn’t waste our time flagging spammers and save the flagging for non-spam PJ posts?

        Comment


        • Panhead John
          Panhead John commented
          Editing a comment
          Even a spammer wouldn’t post some of the crap I do.

        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          You can flag them if you want but it's not necessary, assuming the email system continues to work and notify me. Definitely flag other posts that need admin attention.

        • ofelles
          ofelles commented
          Editing a comment
          bbqLuv have you told STEbbq about this yet?
          Last edited by ofelles; July 29, 2021, 03:20 PM.

        #12
        Thank you for being proactive, but please don't flag what are only suspicious posts. We got about 20 flags today that weren't spam. Only suspicious.

        Spammers aren't spammers until they are spammers. Posting a spam link makes them a spammer. Please don't make rude or sarcastic comments to potential spammers. They are also potential legit members until they prove themselves to be spammers. Thank you for being proactive, but let's reserve flags for actual spam not suspicions.

        I'd like to repeat the last 2 paragraphs form the post above:

        I get email reports hourly of Free Trial members who post links. Even if they've edited their earlier posts to add a link later on, I still get notified. So I try my best to stay on top of it. Of course I can't always be online, so sometimes it may take hours to the point that it looks like we've missed it. If I can't be online, Jerod, Spinaker & Meathead will often see them and delete them.

        Lastly, calling out a potential spammer with rude or sarcastic comments to them might not be the best thing to do. Sure, it's usually true if it smells fishy then it's a fish...but perhaps someone with broken English will join as a legitimate Trial Member and wants to say hi. Automatically suspecting they're a spammer, and telling them so, might not be a very warm welcome if they are here for real. If they are a spammer, then they really couldn't care less what you say to them so it's moot anyway.

        Comment


        • Panhead John
          Panhead John commented
          Editing a comment
          Thanks for the clarification Huskee. I wasn’t aware they weren’t spammers until they post a link. I’ve been as guilty as anyone about making remarks to them. I will stop with my comments and only flag it if it has a link.

        #13
        Thanks. I have flagged a number thinking that was a help. For now, I think the best approach is to do nothing. Based upon what i read here, you folks have it under control which is no surprise.

        Comment


          #14
          Why are trial members even allowed to post links? Is it really necessary to get the full experience before committing to buy a membership? It seems like it would save a lot of mod work monitoring them and reduce risks for the entire Pit community. I might be missing something, but don’t see why that restriction would deter anyone from joining, but it sure could cut down on spammers even bothering to walk through the front door.

          Comment


          • Panhead John
            Panhead John commented
            Editing a comment
            Seriously, how many people at AR have been infected by a spammer here at AR? Raise your hands! This isn’t really a problem for us here. All I’m saying is, these spammers are so obvious in their techniques, I’m not worried at all, our moderators are doing a great job of keeping them out. Next problem? Plant based meats. Please post that next.

          • glitchy
            glitchy commented
            Editing a comment
            Panhead John Yeah, the dumb one’s are obvious, but at 17,000 plus members a smart one might find interest here soon.

          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            Glitchy I agree and I would like to prevent Trial Members from posting outside links too for the simple reason of not allowing spammers to spam....and I've brought it up years ago and I bring it up yearly. But it would take a bunch of code to make this possible unfortunately. I, not being a coder, would think it's as simple as unchecking a couple boxes, but alas, it isn't. So we squash the skeeters as they come.

          #15
          I just reread this post and did not realize that it is not helpful to Flag a post if there are no links. I did some Flagging this morning before rereading this thread.

          I think most of us fairly active folks recognize the behavior, so we're just trying to minimize the seemingly obvious abusers - multiple Reply's to older threads with apparently non-sensical, brief comments. They seem even more obvious when you look at Recent Posts and see a bunch from the same Trial Member on multiple threads within a very brief spam of time. Well, except for Panhead John.

          Comment


          • Donw
            Donw commented
            Editing a comment
            I understand the management’s viewpoint too but in real life if I saw termites spreading across my foundation I personally would not wait until they started burrowing into the wood to take action.

          • GolfGeezer
            GolfGeezer commented
            Editing a comment
            Donw Yup, well said.

          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            They're likely planting seeds to come back and add their link to their posts, we're well aware. Until then they're not termites, they're breaking no rules until they spam.

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