Forums Spam

**Janet** · 07-07-2007, 10:16 AM

In the past few months we have encountered a new and particularly nasty type of spam on the forums.

Typical forums spam involves posts or threads with links to products that have nothing to do with Airstreams (you know what they are.....). Generally a member reports the post and the mods delete the post and revoke the spammers member privilege.

Recently, however we have had spammers register and then send notes via the Private Message system with embedded links. This is much harder to stop and generally we don't know about it until a member posts that they have received it or we are actually on the recipient list.

What to do if you receive spam in your PM box:

Do not respond to it.
Do not click on any embedded links.
Please forward it to a mod.

Our latest spammer was named einstein and he managed to send out more than a dozen PM's before he was stopped. We are working to find a way to prevent this abuse but in the meantime please help us by reporting all spam.

Tim A. · 07-07-2007, 01:01 PM

Janet,

Thanks for the heads up. This sort of thing has been a problem on other forums and we certainly do not need it here. Perhaps I have not looked in the proper place, but I have never seen a list of moderators which would help me report any such problem. Of course, I do admit to having never done a search on "moderator"!

Fyrzowt · 07-07-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim A.

Janet,

Thanks for the heads up. This sort of thing has been a problem on other forums and we certainly do not need it here. Perhaps I have not looked in the proper place, but I have never seen a list of moderators which would help me report any such problem. Of course, I do admit to having never done a search on "moderator"!

At the top of the page, click on the "Forums" tab. Scroll to the bottom, you'll see a list of members. The ones in BOLD are the Mods.
Dave

**moosetags** · 07-07-2007, 01:18 PM

These Forums do a great job of keeping electronic garbage out. It's up to us (the rank and file) to take the time and trouble to report any spamming.

Our Moderators do a great job of policing these Forums.

**CanoeStream** · 07-07-2007, 01:51 PM

Private messages (PMs) are a webpage hosted by AIR Forums that displays information addressed to you by another member. You can open a PM without harm. The Forums software displays our secure webpage info to you and makes sure no spyware can piggyback along with what you are reading. The words may be objectionable but we feel nothing can happen to your computer unless you open links within the message that take you to a different site. This is why Janet says 'Do not respond to it' and 'Do not click on any embedded links.'

1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fyrzowt

At the top of the page, click on the "Forums" tab. Scroll to the bottom, you'll see a list of members. The ones in BOLD are the Mods.
Dave

That will show the moderators online. To forward a PM, please open the message. At the bottom right of the white message area, click Forward. The next window will have a field that says Recipient Username. Put the name of any online moderator into that field. Then click 'Submit Message' just under that window.

2. Another method of communications would be to just start a thread.

3. Here's a slow but sure method -- The 'Contact Us' link at the bottom of every Forums page will bring mod attention and is a good solution for technical glitches; ie, you don't even have to be logged in.

Methods 2 & 3 were used by various members to raise this issue as it started to rock just before midnight last night. Method 1 was used to get copies of the spam message to us.

In almost all circumstances PMs are private. To maintain security of by far the largest Airstream information sharing website in the world, we can appeal to the instincts of our members to share needed information. Our thanks go out to every participant here -- thank you each and every day!

**CanoeStream** · 07-07-2007, 02:17 PM

Oh... and many will be curious. In this case the spam was philosophical/religious in nature. Nuff said.

Wayne&Sam · 07-20-2007, 04:25 AM

The user graham needs to be deleted. 3 posts andthey are all spam.

Royce · 07-20-2007, 07:14 AM

Big thanks to the Mods! the Graham posts went away in a hurry. You guys are really on top of the forum.

**CanoeStream** · 07-20-2007, 07:21 AM

Thank you -- I just turned on. Got it!

Wayne&Sam · 07-20-2007, 08:18 AM

Thanks for taking care of it CanoeStream!

eubank · 07-20-2007, 02:45 PM

You know, this really is a pain. I'm a moderator on rvroadstew.com, and when they started up, we were FLOODED with spam, some of it porno stuff. It was really ugly and sure kept me busy. Think we've got it under control now, but it took some extraordinary steps.

Lynn

zamboni · 07-20-2007, 05:09 PM

Can anything be done about emails to my private email account (the one I receive my PM notifications at) that I've been receiving for over a year...usually from "female" solicitors. I always delete them and mark as spam on that account...but somehow, someone has gotten my private email and knows I'm affiliated w/ AIR. Kinda like truck stop "lot lizards", if you know what I mean.

**Janet** · 07-20-2007, 05:13 PM

Well... it's nice to be popular?

We do not share members e-mail addresses. If you have an e-mail address it's fair game for spammers and they have clever programs to generate blanket spam. You might try setting up some filters on your e-mail program and in the meantime keep that delete button warmed up.

Wayne&Sam · 08-07-2007, 05:51 AM

New member "Nabeel" appears to be a spammer.