Update on the spam situation: a 'hack' has been added that has stopped the spammers in their tracks. This modification creates an error when guests or newbies try to post a link.

We also had a number of accounts being created by spammers, though they were never used. Another hack has been added which seems to have stopped this. New members must now activate their account by clicking on a link they will recieve in an email.

Apologies for any inconvience this may cause.

This just leaves the old spam accounts, which make a bit of a mockery of our member list (roughly half of the list are 'spam'). These accounts will be deleted. I'll wait at least a week to do this. Accounts will be deleted if they satisfy all three of the following criteria:

1) no posts

2) a name that appears to have been automatically generated

3) hidden email address

If you feel that your account may be deleted by mistake, please email me (see the contacts page) or post a message - just saying hi in the welcome thread will do. If your account gets deleted, feel free to sign up again. Unless we get new problems with spammers creating accounts, this should not happen again.

The accounts likely to be deleted are:
vaskdxf
lessmlxed
nemocaprsz
DantesAramis
Zhorakly
hochongs
prostomansfgh
Banabini
mortgagerefi
Riogard
Doctormstr
Kammeron
daikano
Lineyka
Smirrelk
GastroGirl
Gvaterss

DONE - moved thread from global announcements to feedback board

Why?

freediver wrote on Jul 6^th, 2007 at 1:18pm:



Is that serious question FD?..your the one complaining about the false members..so keep them then.

I don't want to delete people who may be genuine members (ie people interested in politics, not spammers) but who just haven't gotten round to posting anything yet. There are a few inactive members who I know either personally or from other forums, and probably a few more who I just haven't made the connection for.

I deleted a new user 'shoeshop' just then, assuming it was a spammer.