How to Recognise a Spambot

[Kapol]

So it seems we have a new strain of bot. They reply to other threads in a way that almost seems right. Take this example:

From: YEAH! FUNDED KICKSTARTER!

I just saw this through Matthew Lesko's site. I thought its not real but it seems like they helped a lot of people already.

Notice how it almost makes sense. It's not until you get to the last part that it seems odd. 'it seems like they helped a lot of people already.' Now, if this was talking about Desert Bus, or even LRR videos in general, I might be willing to believe it. But it seems really weird to say that in the context of talking about their kickstarter. It seems even more off when combined with the first part. It says they didn't believe it at first. Which would be believable... until it says that the reason is because the kickstarter has already helped people.

This 'bot' is enough that I'm not 100% sure it's a bot even now. It's first video, 'The Ring,' doesn't appear on the wiki from what I've seen though. It makes me think of the video with the failinite ring, but that's 'A Sacred Duty.'

[korvys]

They're getting better: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=21861

The question still doesn't make sense, and is from Yahoo answers, but the "First Video" in the profile is "Pyxis of Pandamonium", a real magic card. Which you could almost assume meant the Pyxis of Asphodel, the title of a recent draft video.

It makes me think they might not be bots, but rather humans paid to spam. Sign up for a whole lot of forums, take a quick glance at the topics, and past some random, similar questions from Yahoo answers.

Maybe, having not got a lot of hits, they've done a little more research.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

They clearly haven't researched enough cH.

Poo and Fart would be the most appropriate first videos.

[korvys]

I'm finding this endlessly fascinating.

So we have another one: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=21908

This is the first I've seen with a well written post (copied from Yahoo again, though), in the correct forum, which could be the start of a pretty interesting conversation.

On the downside, it already has the links edited in, the references are a bit dated (Halo 2?) and the first video is "Kathleen". Good try, but no.

I feel like the goal now should be to make them have to learn so much about LRR to fit in, that they just become a useful member of the community. A la: http://xkcd.com/810/

[TomBrend]

FREE VIAG*RA* FOR YOUR WIGGLING WING-WANG

BOSOM ENHANCEMENT- BRING YOUR VOLUPTUOUS CURVES INTO A NEW LIGHT

PORN BINTS WANT YOUR MEAT STOCKING TO BE MORE OF A TURGID LOVE TORPEDO

[korvys]

See. A useful member of the community.

[TomBrend]

According to my profile, 0.57 % of all posts are by me. Aren't you glad I'm such a useful contributor?

[plummeting_sloth]

So it seems we have a new strain of bot. They reply to other threads in a way that almost seems right. Take this example:

From: YEAH! FUNDED KICKSTARTER!

I just saw this through Matthew Lesko's site. I thought its not real but it seems like they helped a lot of people already.

Notice how it almost makes sense. It's not until you get to the last part that it seems odd. 'it seems like they helped a lot of people already.' Now, if this was talking about Desert Bus, or even LRR videos in general, I might be willing to believe it. But it seems really weird to say that in the context of talking about their kickstarter. It seems even more off when combined with the first part. It says they didn't believe it at first. Which would be believable... until it says that the reason is because the kickstarter has already helped people.

This 'bot' is enough that I'm not 100% sure it's a bot even now. It's first video, 'The Ring,' doesn't appear on the wiki from what I've seen though. It makes me think of the video with the failinite ring, but that's 'A Sacred Duty.'

Wait, Matthew Lesko? Isn't he the guy in the question-mark suit that's supposed to get you free money from the federal government?

[AlexanderDitto]

So it seems we have a new strain of bot. They reply to other threads in a way that almost seems right. Take this example:

From: YEAH! FUNDED KICKSTARTER!

I just saw this through Matthew Lesko's site. I thought its not real but it seems like they helped a lot of people already.

Notice how it almost makes sense. It's not until you get to the last part that it seems odd. 'it seems like they helped a lot of people already.' Now, if this was talking about Desert Bus, or even LRR videos in general, I might be willing to believe it. But it seems really weird to say that in the context of talking about their kickstarter. It seems even more off when combined with the first part. It says they didn't believe it at first. Which would be believable... until it says that the reason is because the kickstarter has already helped people.

This 'bot' is enough that I'm not 100% sure it's a bot even now. It's first video, 'The Ring,' doesn't appear on the wiki from what I've seen though. It makes me think of the video with the failinite ring, but that's 'A Sacred Duty.'

Wait, Matthew Lesko? Isn't he the guy in the question-mark suit that's supposed to get you free money from the federal government?

Yes. He is.

He's basically a real-life TV spammer.

[plummeting_sloth]

Ha! Then that's like the scholarship phising letter my buddy got back in the day. From Hans Gruber. Good to know he was taking all the money from Mr Nokatomi and giving it to poor high school kids.

[Prospero101]

Okay, so I'm necro'ing this thread to ask a question. A spambot posted in my last words thread. I reported it, obviously. But now I want it gone, gone, gone. What do?

[Jamfalcon]

Not much that can be done but wait at this point. One of the mods will delete it when they get a chance.

[Prospero101]

That'd be easier to stomach if it weren't a MASSIVE FUCKOFF AD FOR VIAGRA. >.<

What is the point of this? What is the end goal? What purpose does it serve?

[RedNightmare]

Give us all boners?

But seriously, I have no idea. I was completly flabberghasted when I saw the first viagra spam show up.

[Sieg Reyu]

I'll throw in something here since I can. If the username is just an actual name, it's probably a spambot. Not many people use something as mundane as susansmith, billgreen, or TomBrend as a username.

[empath]

If it takes a while for the spambot's posts to get wiped, you could always put it on your 'Foes' list and replace its long-ass spam with a single line that says something like "this post is by <username> who is blocked by you; click here to see the post".

You can add them by clicking on the 'profile' button on their offending post, then clicking on 'add foe' that's next to add friend and just below where the user's avatar would be.

HTH!

[plummeting_sloth]

That'd be easier to stomach if it weren't a MASSIVE FUCKOFF AD FOR VIAGRA. >.<

What is the point of this? What is the end goal? What purpose does it serve?

Maybe someone's last words were for a massive amount of Viagra? Or perhaps it was such a blatantly ban-worthy post that the spammer was themselves attempting to create eternal last words?

[Prospero101]

Okay, so it seems we have a wee bit of a problem. This post here. It's clearly a spambot. But when you go to its profile and check its first video, it's "Willfully Annoying," which is the title of the most recent Feed Dump episode.

Are the spam bots evolving? Or is this a real person being a spammer? Has this happened before?

[Master Gunner]

It's happened before. Some spambots have real people register the accounts to circumvent that type of countermeasure.

[ArchieO]

Speaking of I've see a couple of Kitchen Units Some random UK city threads pop up, is this some weirdly Specific Spam?

[Smeghead]

Speaking of I've see a couple of Kitchen Units Some random UK city threads pop up, is this some weirdly Specific Spam?

Yeah, they are weird

[CSt]

Speaking of I've see a couple of Kitchen Units Some random UK city threads pop up, is this some weirdly Specific Spam?

Apparently, since Edinburgh got their spam three hours later. Another level: since most moderators are from the Americas it is especially effective to post at (in CET in my case) 05:00 and 08:00 to give the post a longer life.

[Smeghead]

Doesn't seem like anyone is deleting the spam threads lately...

[Hepheastus]

Yeah there has been quite a few recently

[Keab42]

I know Chrusher has been otherwise occupied. Shall I poke Ditto on Twitter?