Spam threads gone wild...

Thank you, Admin, all gone. But playing catch-up isn't a solution.

Admin,

This is how to fix the site from SPAM. Monitor each request coming in using a filter. Depending on the web site tech you are using this "filter" will be named differently. Each logged in user will have a username or identity token with the HTTP request. You guys have this saved in you user database. Cross reference this user identity with users who have recently created their login account. Limit these users from posting content based on any rules you guys come up with.

If your developers need someone like me to tell you this. You need new developers.

It's 10am EST on a Wednesday  and there are 81 spam threads and about 10 legitimate. I've never seen anything like this online.
I know the Mods. are working on the problem, but at this point, the spammers have taken over the forum and are free to do as they will.

It's simple.  Any new member's first post should be moderated, and the member deleted if that post is spam. 

It would probably require a massive update of the forum period.

Basically a new system of having a forum, new format, the whole works.

In that new but now 'normal' forum format, the software would have the ability to combat such heavy spamming.

This old system (that you are looking at right now), that is quite unique, does not have the ability to add on spam detection packages.

This was predictable. It was just a matter of time.

The posting of spam can be done by bots, and the forum software as it exists now, would not be able to prevent it.

I know Admin said they were working on it but wow, it's still being hammered with the same spam. I can't understand how they can't fix this.

It seems like less members are posting new threads. In the "Past 48 hours" there are only a handful of real threads.
I believe members are spending less time on the forum; many familiar monikers haven’t been involved lately.

They suddenly got pretty bad for a while.

And honestly, Elizabeth, I've signed up for the black magic get a girlfriend program. Can I have a strand or two of your hair???

What I don't understand is that the offenders must know by now that their spam is a useless and futile effort to snag someone. I think it's more malicious in intent than we give credit. Cultural differences aside, they can't be that stupid and inept.

All the best,
Nonoise

Is there not a fix?

Spam has infected this site. I'm looking less and less these last 2 month's.

I had to use the "I'm not a robot" feature and thought it was a clever idea. In my case it was storefronts; it looked like Google street view. My only criticism was the images were poor quality.

I just had a thought - that the spam may turn out to be a good thing. Any thread with the title magic or voodoo in it is likely to get deleted. We walk a narrow path here at the 'Gon. :)
Warning to manufacturers- do not call your latest product "love potion."

Getting rid of the spam would be great, but don't let it get in the way of deleting rozy54's harmless posts whenever possible.

Appreciate the comments and feedback about the Spam.
Trust me, we are very aware of it and am looking at steps to stop it completely. This will not happen overnight, but we are getting closer to a solution. 

Voodoo? Bots are emulating Geoff again....

Wait a minute! You mean these myriad of posts aren’t really standing by to solve my financial woes, solidify my marriage or enhance my love life while recommending a nice movie to take in?

Never seen a single spam on Audio Asylum.  Who's crazy now?

Ok I agree, it's getting stupid!
4 just popped up on the analog forums in under 2 minutes!
C'mon Agon, fix this as you said you would before you lose more members.

@whart As those "learning" bots evolve the proper Venn diagram for the audio hobby, perhaps we'll begin to see Viagra spam... Though voodoo is certainly common as well around here. 

Yeah, there were a lot last night too- for a while, some seemed to 'borrowing' language from the site (or maybe I'm imagining things) but the bots were 'learning' to imitate the substance --not very well. Last night, much was about fixing bad relationships through charms and voodoo remedies- not to be confused with our regular patter here. 
You'd think there would be a software filter for this that doesn't require moderators (poor Tammy) to play 'wack a mole.'
It is a distraction, and detracts from the quality of forum page(s). 

As of 9:30am ET, 96 of 98 Agon posts on new topics within the past 12 hours are spam! 

I googled the phone # in a majority of the post headers. Results show that this spam is on scores of forums. #deathpenaltyforspammers

If Agon just blocked the text string "9145958860", 80% of this would be blocked. 

And it’s starting again... looks like nothing has been done. I would be fired.

Not going out of my way to defend the Agon admin but posts usually only get deleted because someone reported them.
It’s not like they openly cruise the threads looking for trouble......

However yes they likely could do a better job on spam prevention. But please keep reporting them as spam as soon as you see them, it all helps.

It's cheesy that Agon moderators routinely delete controversial posts by audiophiles, but fail to filter spam detritus at ingress.  This has mostly ruined the site during nighttime hours.  

Heres the thing, as someone with some experience in the backend admin of forums, it is exceptionally easy to do as many have suggested and it has been easily doable for years (decades in fact....).  The admin sets a "whitelist" which you get on after a set number of posts....say 5.  Before that, all posts go into quarantine waiting mod approval.  Given that most spam has a bunch of odd characters like brackets, parentheses, words (i.e. male enhancement pills, etc), it takes a very short time i.e. minutes to quickly approve/deny the post as one can simply scroll through and visually delete the offender.  It is simply script of a dozen or so lines of code. 

The frustration at the mods here I would suggest is fully justified since this is such an easy fix that they are unable (i.e. lack basic technical ability) or unwilling to correct.  I for one cant understand this since the backend folks here undeniably have the technical chops to run this website, so I'm baffled as everyone else. 

So yes, keep the pressure on....

Yes, it is a free site and we very much appreciate that. I think the issue folks may have is that freeloading scum are violating trust and exploiting it for their gain and we want to see them shut down and not merely tolerated.

I just report every one I see as spam, the Agon team usually deal with them pretty swiftly.

It's a free site after all.......

This doesn't fix the problem, but perhaps minimizes it.  Try changing your view.  

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/recent?time_range=12

I see all the SPAM posts listed at the top of the page.  Anything with 0 replies is under "New Discussions in the past 12 hours"

Any posts with replies are under "Forum contributions in the past 12 hours".  If you don't reply to the SPAM posts they won't end up there.  

Just scroll past all the SPAM and into the real discussions.

I use to enjoy a few minutes on the forum every morning, but it has become more and more frustrating.

It has turn into Spamogon!!!

@admin
Spam started 9 hours ago and they are still posting as we speak. Is there no one at the helm?

Now it’s hit the rediculous tipping point ..... this AM there was 100 💯 crap posts.

TO THE MODS 

FIX IT NOW via blocking them (....you’ve promised “to take steps” a long time ago since last year....but nada ....) or the exodus from the forum will surely start with the mocking of AGON on the other audio forums.

Bumping this as there is (easily preventable) spam every night. 

@grinnell   Condo is still available.  Trade for your speakers.

But that condo deal in Malaysia is not real?

Google "clutching one’s pearls".
It’s right up there with "Oh my, I’ve got the vapors!"
or, "I do declare."

@nonoise   "pearl clutching"??

But pearl clutching is a way of life here, and mostly everywhere, now. 😄

Before you all get into complaint submission, please keep in mind that Audiogon Forum here is a "free" service.  There have been several spam posts I have seen in the last several days, but we just "report them as spam" and it's generally taken care of pretty quickly.  If you want a non-spam forum, feel free to go over to Audioaficianado and pay for the forum service.

There are six or eight Thugs of Hindostan threads posted right now.

Rar1....You nailed it 

they have now been flagged as offensive spam reported to the mods

It’s  now a daily occurrence......looks the internet troll ventured out from under his bridge again.

And there were 4 left this morning (@5:34AM EST) by user 'joytv' on the topic ...  'Thugs of Hindustan.'  

Every morning, same crap.


Rich 

I agree with Elizabeth’s post just above. And allowing members to create new threads only after some number of responses have been made to existing threads is unlikely to be very effective in controlling spam anyway. At the computer-related forum I referred to earlier I’ve seen numerous instances in which a spammer has registered, then within a matter of minutes submit irrelevant responses to 10 existing threads (usually very old threads, the spammer apparently believing that would cause the responses to escape notice), and then proceed to create the intended spam thread.

Regards,
-- Al

 Spammers most likely use a VPN and change their ip and location often. Blocking IPs probably won't work. And it may affect real users. I am also against fees, a lot of regular users will just move to other audio sites. In my opinion restricting new users is a better way to go. Make it more difficult and the spammers will look for easier targets.