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Doc
Keeper of the Scrolls
2010 Posts
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 Posted -
10/10/2006
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17:24
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Recently the site has been targeted by numerous spammers and email harvesting robots, Some of you wil have received many of their emails offering long lost money, pledges and downright begging letters.
A lot of these were initially conducted by automatic email harvesting robots, who automatically registered as new members, thereby giving them access to the member listings. I stepped up the security on the registration page to overcome these robots, by requiring them to enter a return email address, before they could be accepted as a member. The robots are now history.
However, individuals from the Ivory coast, Samalia, Botswanna and other african countries are continuing to target the site and register as ligitimate members, again giving them access to the member list where they send individual Private messages using the sites software, luckily because this will be a manual process, only a few will recieve these messages.
I can step up the security another level (or 3), however the security process will reach a point where legitimate new members will be turned away because of the rigourous registration process, hence my reluctance to impliment the more secure method.
What I am asking is that you have patience with these troublesome annoying people and just delete their messages, if they do not get a response, then they will quickly ignore this site and move on.
In the last two months I have identified and banned more than 20 of these so-called members and will continue to do so, I am continually on the site throughout the day and patrol all new members and topics as they appear.
Don't give their messages the light of day, just delete them.
best regards
Doc - webmaster
TTFN - Doc
Due to the current economic climate, the light at the end of the tunnel has now been switched off.
Click here to make a donation and help support this site and keep it advert free 
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Ringo
Site Administrator
3793 Posts
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Posted - 10/10/2006 : 17:56
Good advice there Doc keep up the hard work.
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melteaser
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Posted - 10/10/2006 : 18:39
Like a naughty child...ignore them and they eventually get bored!
Mel
http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk |
Sue
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Posted - 10/10/2006 : 19:07
AGREE TOTALLY. I have much more interesting things going on in my life
Sue
If you keep searching you'll find it |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 11/10/2006 : 05:39
Good advice Doc and I agree about not going for more security. The Nigerian scam is totally harmless as long as you delete and don't even reply. Never forget that in order to make this scam work they need an organisation as face to face meetings are involved in the worst instances. These are with very dangerous people. So it isn't a joke. If you reply you prove to them that they have a viable email address and will sell it on. This is probably their largest source of income so don't even open them, they are easily recognised. Just delete them and if it has come from oneguy, alert Doc.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Cathy
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Posted - 11/10/2006 : 10:26
Phew .... thank goodness I didn't reply out of sheer frustration, just to give them a piece of my mind. I'm sure we are all intelligent enough to recognise a scam when we see it (famous last words). I always delete anything I don't recognise.
Thanks Doc...keep on zapping 'em. 
All thru the fields and meadows gay .... Enjoy
Take Care...Cathy |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 11/10/2006 : 15:41
I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you are on Outlook don't have the preview window open. Some mails contain code which is activated by opening it and the preview pane opens messages that are highlighted. You will find that you can identify the spam and delete it without opening it. If there is anything you are not sure of right click on it>properties>message>message source. You can then read the mail without actually opening it. If you don't like it, delete it. It's down to all of us to use our heads and zap spam. If everyone did this there would be no point in spamming. I saw some statistics this week on the number of computers that have no virus protection or firewall. They should be mandatory as part of the OS. I have mcAfee virus scan and firewall. Once a week I run spybot and I also run cleanup regularly. It's quite amazing what three different programmes pick up, they all have slightly different datasets for detection. Remember also that all virus and spyware programmes need auto-backup to get the latest threats. It's a pain I know but the more vigilant we are, the less profitable it is for the bad guys.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
HerbSG
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Posted - 11/10/2006 : 17:23
2 MORE TODAY, at least they should have enough for some kind of team now, so maybe they'll just play by themselves.
HERB
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HerbSG
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 09:08
Doc, another 2 since my last post, that makes about 7 of the 11 new members this week, maybe you should post a $1,000 fee for these millionaire assh les to pay to sign on, i.e. the ivory coast fee! I don't mind them on the OGFB site, I just ignore them, but should we all delete our e mail info to suit these blabbering fools?
HERB
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Marcia
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 10:55
I don't bother with a firewall personally as the chances of anyone bothering to hack me or finding anything useful if they did are slim to none, plus I regularly disconnect from the Internet and don't leave the broadband connection always up so am a less tempting target. I'm not a fan of firewalls on home PCs because most of the home PC ones are a bit crude, aren't very smart and they block perfectly harmless sites and programs. The first thing I did when I got XP was switch off the firewall. I wouldn't run a server without a proper fully-configurable one though.
I do have up to date virus protection, Spybot *and* Ad-Aware installed. The virus software runs live, I run SB and AA every couple of weeks.
As Stanley says though, your best weapons are common sense and a Delete key. In the days before I had W95 and no anti-virus etc. I managed perfectly well with that combination and only once got a virus in a decade - and that was my own fault entirely for taking my eye off the ball and opening a mail when I should have known better.
- Marcia Allass
(http://www.sequentialtart.com) |
Doc
Keeper of the Scrolls
2010 Posts
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 17:00
Are you getting these messages through the OGFb Private messages or are they coming via email?
TTFN - Doc
Due to the current economic climate, the light at the end of the tunnel has now been switched off.
Click here to make a donation and help support this site and keep it advert free
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Ringo
Site Administrator
3793 Posts
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 17:07
The ones I have been getting have been via email, but sometimes I get them other times Mandy gets them aswell, the kids have not recieved any at all.
Ps Better parking this week Doc...
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Doc
Keeper of the Scrolls
2010 Posts
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 17:41
quote:
Ringo wrote:
Ps Better parking this week Doc...
I can but try 
TTFN - Doc
Due to the current economic climate, the light at the end of the tunnel has now been switched off.
Click here to make a donation and help support this site and keep it advert free
|
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 18:08
Marcia, you are living dangerously without a firewall. Have you any idea how many times you are pinged in a minute whilst online? My advice to everyone is get a firewall and I'm in good company. Look up Jack Schofield on the web.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Ringo
Site Administrator
3793 Posts
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 18:17
I have a built in firewall in the router a Norton one and the inbuilt Windows one and I never have any problem getting onto any site I want.
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melteaser
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Posted - 12/10/2006 : 19:33
Mine (& I have only had 2 ) have both been PM's but I have my email address hidden.
Mel
http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk |
Spammers and Email Rogues
