how do i avoid spams in Vbulletin 4.3?

5 replies
i've created a new forum ( forum.esocialparadise (dot) com )
There are 1000+ members, but i'm wondering that half of them are spammers.

please help me fellows, how do i get rid of them.

also have a look & tell me how it looks.
#avoid #marketing #spams #vbulletin
  • Profile picture of the author techservice
    Looks like you have a classic spambot problem. The spambots trawl the net looking for keys in the domin name eg forum.esocialparadise then they sign up multiple users and try and spam there links.

    The only solution I found was to temperarily make new users so they have to be approved and then move the forum and implement non identifiable filenames.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4190151].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JaspervBulletin
    Most people are being hit with a lot of spam these days. Some things you can do to reduce this are:

    1. Moderate new registrations
    Admin CP -> Setting -> Options -> User Registration Options -> Moderate New Members -> Yes

    2. Activate email verification
    Admin CP -> Settings -> Options -> User Registration Options -> Verify Email address in Registration

    3. Upgrade to at least vBulletin version 3.7 or higher. These versions have several Human Verification Options.
    Admin CP -> Settings -> Human Verification Manager ->

    Image Verification:
    This is the same Images Verification Captcha as in older versions of vB, except that this now requires both GD and Freetype 2 to be installed in PHP.

    Question and Answer Verification
    This allows you to set up a Question and Answer verification during registration. If done correctly it will be almost impossible for bots to enter the correct answer.

    reCAPTCHA™ Verification
    This uses the reCaptcha service. You will need to register with them and get both a Public and Private key.

    *** Note: As per this announcement, we recommend using the Q&A method with multiple questions. ***
    After you have chosen the method you want to use and have set this up, then make sure the correct Human Verification options are set here:
    Admin CP -> Settings -> Human Verification Options

    And if you have chosen the Image Verification option then you need to choose either GD or ImageMagick here: Admin CP -> Settings -> Options -> Image Settings
    You can go back to the Human Verification Manager to make sure the image is showing correctly.

    Note: Both are equivalent. These are also required if you use thumbnails for attachments or wish to automatically resize pictures that are too large.

    4. Ban 'free' email domains many spammers use.
    Admin CP -> Settings -> Options -> User Banning Options -> Banned Email Addresses

    See this thread for a list of commonly banned email addresses:
    http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148061

    5. Set these options for the Unregistered, Users Awaiting and COPPA usergroups:
    Admin CP -> Usergroups -> Usergroup Manager -> Edit ->
    Can Use Email to Friend -> No
    Can Email Members -> No

    Require Human Verification on Configured Actions -> Yes


    6. Add a new required question to registration.
    Although there is a Q&A option in the Human Verification Manager, at this time these is no way to use this in conjunction with Image Verification or reCaptcha. However there is a workaround for this. You can create a required profile field to add Q&A to the registration process. To do so, follow these instructions: Add an extra question to the registration to prevent bot registrations.

    7. Restrict Email to Friend to Registered Users.
    Some people have reported that spammers are using the 'Send Email to Friend' function to spam others from your forums. To reduce this make sure that your Unregistered, COPPA and User's Awaiting groups have the 'Can Use Email to Friend' option set to 'No'.

    8. Stop bots spamming through the Contact Us link.
    Admin CP -> Settings -> Options -> Human Verification Options -> Check 'Contact Us' and 'Register'

    9. Enabling Spam Management.
    vBulletin supports managing spam through the Akismet and Typepad Anti-spam services. Both services require an API key to use. Here is how to obtain those keys.

    Akismet -
    To obtain an Akismet key, you need to sign up for a Wordpress.com account. This will give you a key to use within vBulletin. After signing up please see this page for instructions on retrieving your key:
    API Keys « Support — WordPress.com

    Typepad -
    Typepad also requires a key to be used. To get one go to this link here:
    TypePad AntiSpam - Get an API Key

    Once you have your key, you need to enter it into your vBulletin Options under:
    Admin CP -> Settings -> Options -> vBulletin Options -> Spam Management -> vBulletin Anti-Spam Key Powered by Akismet

    Note: Either key goes into the same spot. On the same page set 'Anti-Spam Service' to the appropriate service. You can only use one service at a time.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4223505].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
      Originally Posted by JaspervBulletin View Post

      Add a new required question to registration.[/SIZE][INDENT]Although there is a Q&A option in the Human Verification Manager, at this time these is no way to use this in conjunction with Image Verification or reCaptcha.
      That is surprising. You can have both together with Simple Machines 2.0, and all you need to do is select both of them, no work around required.
      Signature

      Do something spectacular; be fulfilled. Then you can be your own hero. Prem Rawat

      The KimW WSO

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4223831].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SiteSmarty
    1. Change your subdomain name to something different than forum/forms. Something like darkpinkworms.yoursite.com. In your nav bar use the word community or something like that.

    2. Pay to remove the powered by vBulletin if they still have that option.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4223569].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hostsdepot
    You may also need a human verification plugins for new threads.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7055121].message }}

Trending Topics