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+--- Thread: Deleting accounts (/showthread.php?tid=1948)
Deleting accounts - RobSeegel - 11-17-2011
If you delete a suspicious account, can you send me the Username, IP, and email address if you can? I've been tracking both the accounts I've been deleting, and the ones I see attacking the forum on the error log. Some of the spammers reuse their fake email or username again and again as a sort of calling card. This can be helpful if they're attacking from a new IP that hasn't been widely reported yet on spam lists.
Here's what I've been looking at:
- Google the IP, if an IP gets hits on the first page for one or more of the following:
-- Stop Forum Spam - IP Check - [IP Address]
-- BotScout.com: IP Check: [IP Address]
Then it's highly likely that it is a bot that is spamming us, trying to register an account. I've found if you follow the links to one of those pages, you will generally find either the username or email address somewhere in the list - sometimes it's a close variation.
I will also sometimes to searches on the email address and/or username. The very generic ones that would come up in a lot of searches are generally fake. Typically a real forum user will come up with a few reasonable hits, though not always.
If I don't have enough evidence, then I leave the account alone. If after one day the new user hasn't been online (which I judge to be atypical behavior), then I will also delete the account.
This may sound incredibly dull, but it's actually been a little interesting. If you don't feel like doing any of this then that's fine too, but please do pass along the information, please. Very few of the attacks actually succeed in registering.
I'd be happy to post the spreadsheet I've been keeping somewhere and updating it periodically if there is any interest.
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 11-17-2011
Thanks for this info, Rob, I will hereafter send this information to you when I delete an account. By
hereafterI mean from now until the 26th of next December when I quit as an admin after 5 years of service
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 11-22-2011
Two accounts deleted:
Registration UserID:
hvzzxj466
Chosen screen name:
hvzzxj4663
Not validated email address:
revisqwa@hotmail.com
Chosen language:
English
Coming from IP address:
67.208.235.254
Registration UserID:
Cearbarombolo
Chosen screen name:
CearbaromboloNU
Not validated email address:
arriptflelf@mail.ru
Chosen language:
English
Coming from IP address:
83.99.185.25
Re: Deleting accounts - RobSeegel - 11-23-2011
Thanks, Brell! Both of those IPs were already in my spreadsheet, I just added the userID/email addresses. I'm not entirely sure how useful it's going to be tracking the info since I haven't been at it that long. Time will tell, I guess.
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 11-24-2011
Account deleted:
Registration UserID: MarinaJajo
Chosen screen name: MarinaJajoKH
Not validated email address: meqkmooezblmjkmooejc@hsbkmooelfpxxkmooeow.com
Chosen language: English
Coming from IP address: 188.143.233.207
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 11-24-2011
And another:
Registration UserID: Roryfrele
Chosen screen name: Ugg Boots Chocolate
Not validated email address: uprauksalefuns@gmail.com">suprauksalefuns@gmail.com
Chosen language: English
Coming from IP address: 58.22.138.41
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 11-28-2011
Account deleted:
Registration UserID: LicFlicleCiltKicegix
Chosen screen name: LicFlicleCiltKicegix
Not validated email address: ewelinadebkowska1+liuosi@gmail.com
Chosen language: English
Coming from IP address: 93.182.186.3
Re: Deleting accounts - RobSeegel - 11-29-2011
I haven't necessarily been responding to each one individually, but I've logged all the ones you've provided. Thanks! I think we're averaging between 3-5 bad memberships a day. Sometimes a few less, sometimes more. This sounds bad, but it's really not, when you consider the almost constant attacks I've been seeing. Captcha appears to be reducing a large number of the counts, but it's still annoying.
In some cases, I've seen a single account (bot) retrying 50-75 times before
giving upon a single username. So, it could be much worse.
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 12-03-2011
Deleted:
Registration UserID: Kesehyhorioussy
Chosen screen name: KesehyhorioussyHS
Not validated email address: fotygamonikaksnvdc@gmail.com
Chosen language: English
Coming from IP address: 93.182.130.116
Re: Deleting accounts - brell - 12-05-2011
Deleted:
Registration UserID: SexMailz
Chosen screen name: SexMailzXJ
Not validated email address: jjassic@mail.ru
Chosen language: English
Coming from IP address: 122.248.240.248