11 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
11 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

What's This Awesome New Blog Spamming Gadget?

by TiffanyLambert
9 replies
Hi Warriors!

Lately I've seen something I haven't seen on any of my other blogs and I need to know what it is so I can find out how to stop it.

Here's what it does:

It somehow comes onto my blog, takes someone else's comment verbatim and reposts it with THEIR link.

So in other words, when you fill out your name, email address and URL before posting the comment, it gives their own unique name, email (usually hotmail) and URL and then just grabs someone else's comments.

So the comments appear relevant (because they are) but unless I specifically remember approving it before, to catch it, I might approve theirs so now there are two identical blog comments on my blog - looking like they came from 2 (or more) different people.

It's annoying. Any advice?
tiff
#awesome #blog #gadget #spamming
  • Profile picture of the author Lee Wilson
    I've got the same thing happening on one of my sites. I moderate the comments there and the only reason it never fooled me was because I had a sudden influx which was out of the ordinary. Each link goes to a an empty blog so theres obviously some kind of big link wheel in the making.

    Each comment is a different IP, email and username. Other than moderating them yourself, this one is hard to catch.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2030077].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Myles Sinclair
      I'm guessing you are using the top commenters plugin? This can be exploited to allow a user to post a comment using the existing top commenters username.

      It doesn't require software to do this, although there is an application that can search for blogs using this plugin.

      The spammer in your case Tiffany has been particularly lazy by copying an existing comment. It makes it easier to spot!

      I hope this helps.

      Best wishes,

      Ooops, I've just noticed that you said the comments are from different usernames, so not sure how they're doing that. But it probably is a security hole in one of the plugins.

      Myles
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2030485].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayo
    Hi Tiff,
    I did a quick G search to see if there is a WP pug in that might solve your problem
    and here is what I've found.

    Duplicate Post Eraser <-I'm not affiliated with any of the results.

    Hope it Helps,
    Have a Great Day!
    Michael
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2030540].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author badboy_Nick
      Hmm

      Im alwats very cautious when it comes to tools and gadgets which SPAM on blogs or websites. They become obsolete very quickly and admins of blogs etc hate them with a passion, resulting in deleting your links.

      Nick
      Signature
      Read my incredible story: www.affiliatechamp.co.uk
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2030546].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Scot Standke
    Hey Tiffany,

    Had the same problem with one of my blogs lately, 50+ spam comments with links every day or so, duplicate posts of original comments.

    I installed the reCaptcha plugin and it stopped it dead in it's tracks. (so far).

    Scot
    Signature

    Discover A New & Profitable Niche Every Day... FREE Niche Ideas + 2 Killer Bonus Items With Resale Rights!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2031119].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Hilary
    I've seen this too - and another variant, which copies related comments from other people's blogs, matching up with the keywords in my post. Very ingenious, in a parasitic sort of way.

    I've added 'Bad Behavior' to Akismet and Spam Karma... maybe that'll work. I'd rather have a few fake comments than impose captcha on real commenters.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2031251].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mrs S
    Seriously? One of the things I really hate about this whole IM business is the people who use any dirty tricks they can to build backlinks. The sad thing is that most of us can actually catch them - but the "innocent" bloggers out there are probably just glad to get comments on their blogs.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2031303].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ilya Feynberg
    This just keeps getting better and better...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2031336].message }}

Trending Topics