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Forum Announcements and Comments Announcements about forum changes will be made in this section. All new threads here now require moderator approval. |
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7th Jun 2022, 10:52 am | #1 | |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 9,071
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Scam PMs from new members
stvn123 has sent the same format PM to several people who have recent wanted requests:
Quote:
Please be very wary of responding to such messages from any new members with zero posts, or emailing the address included. |
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8th Jun 2022, 9:05 pm | #2 |
Hexode
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Fareham, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 482
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Interesting how they combine a real posted subject with their spam/scam. Brobably bot software or how this is called.
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Failing to prepare is preparing to fail ... |
8th Jun 2022, 9:33 pm | #3 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,944
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
No, there are people paid to post this stuff. They register on forums then send PMs to members directed towards their interests. Anybody who gets an unsolicited PM from a new member with a low post count should view it with great suspicion.
There's not a lot we can do about this that doesn't introduce additional problems. |
9th Jun 2022, 9:10 am | #4 |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 9,071
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
I have added a restriction to these members with no posts, they can now only send one PM every 10 minutes. This should slow down the scammers so they hopefully give up, without losing the PM facility completely for new members that need it.
Of course they can still send one scam PM before hitting the restriction, and may persist anyway, so this doesn’t mean the problem has gone. |
9th Jun 2022, 7:55 pm | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: St Albans, Herts, UK.
Posts: 2,193
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Thanks for the heads up.
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All the very best, Tas |
10th Jun 2022, 9:43 am | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 6,600
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
i received one of these messages and somewhat embarrassed to say I was taken in by it this was before Paul had launched this Thread.
In this case I am unsure what the scam intention was ? David |
10th Jun 2022, 10:52 am | #7 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Duffort, Gers, France
Posts: 714
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
What action did you take? Presumably the idea was that you would contact the person whose email address was sent and send him some money to pay for the thing you were looking for. He would then disappear and never be heard from again.
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Stuart The golden age is always yesterday - Asa Briggs |
10th Jun 2022, 10:57 am | #8 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,944
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Generally speaking, the initial contact will be from a low level scammer. If you respond the contact will be passed on to someone higher up the food chain who will assess your vulnerability based on your response. Typically the senior scammer will try to get you to send money or supply bank details.
There is a whole ecosystem of internet fraud, with so called 'sucker lists' being traded and groups working together. |
10th Jun 2022, 11:58 am | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK.
Posts: 6,600
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
I did make an enquiry to the provided email address but my sent email bounced back very quickly saying "undeliverable", so at that stage started to think that something was fishy.
Hope I am not on the "sucker list" David |
10th Jun 2022, 12:03 pm | #10 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,944
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Some of them are just plain incompetent. You don't get criminal masterminds sitting in internet cafes in Lagos or Mumbai all day doing this sort of thing.
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10th Jun 2022, 12:17 pm | #11 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,871
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Even if you don't get to the attention of someone who does the main scam, you can wind up on mug lists and lists of known valid email addresses which get traded around. So be extra careful of incoming emails. You've put your head over the horizon.
Hopefully that bounce message was a real one meaning that they never got your address. David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
10th Jun 2022, 12:41 pm | #12 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,944
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
It's possible that the email address or domain was blacklisted somewhere.
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12th Jun 2022, 6:28 am | #13 |
Heptode
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Olympia, Washington, USA.
Posts: 664
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
We pretty much got hit with the exact same scam on Antique Radio Forums a while back.
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12th Jun 2022, 6:45 am | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Rugeley, Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 8,831
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
The big giveaway is usually the style of writing and the poor or strange English.
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A digital radio is the latest thing, but a vintage wireless is forever.. |
13th Jun 2022, 1:23 am | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,713
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
I've just took a sample of about ten members at random and with the exception of moderators, all of them had Email reception enabled using the forum as a proxy.
That included myself! I've now disabled "Receive Email from Other Members". Wouldn't it be better if this was the default condition? If someone wants a members direct email address, they can always use the forums messaging service and ask.
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-- Graham. G3ZVT |
13th Jun 2022, 1:33 am | #17 |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Mareeba, North Queensland, Australia
Posts: 2,704
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
A certain amount of descretion is needed by members I would think.
After all, if we visit here relativly often, we know who is another regular and who is not. If you dont know the name, or seem suspicious, simply redirect, it, their, whover email it is back to the forum. Im sure any scams will be picked up. Its been mentioned already: NEVER give your personal info to anybody. Not even another forum member, UNLESS you KNOW who and what they are. Its NOT rocket science!!!. Joe |
21st Jun 2022, 10:25 am | #18 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,944
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Bumping this thread. This is an ongoing issue. Please take care.
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21st Jun 2022, 10:47 am | #19 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Suffolk, UK.
Posts: 97
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Yes I received a PM this morning and smelled a rat.
A simple search first, revealed enough info for me, so no response was sent to it. This is a good site to search for and moderators / admins to log banned nefarious forum users. I use it as I moderate elswhere. https://www.stopforumspam.com/ Thanks to the staff for prompt action.
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Quicquid Nitet Notandum |
21st Jun 2022, 11:50 pm | #20 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Liss, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 1,873
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Re: Scam PMs from new members
Another form that I moderate checks all new users against the Stopforumspam database using their API.
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