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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Kew, Vic
    Posts
    123

    Default Teds Woodworking. Scam?

    Mods,

    Sorry to trouble you.

    Logging in this evening, the forum’s principal banner ad was for Ted’s Woodworking. Am I wrong or is this the much reported scam? Searching ‘Teds Woodworking Scam’ beings up some horror stories. I’d hate to think that any of our less aware members were caught.

    I understand completely that these ads are not ‘chosen’ by the forum but are Google generated, but I thought you might like to know.

    Brian

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 1999
    Location
    Grovedale (Geelong) Victoria
    Age
    75
    Posts
    9,665

    Default

    Sorry for the delayed response.

    The Google ads on here are mostly targeted, ie: They are based on your search or browser history. Hence years ago we used to have the odd member complain about adult content showing in the ads, until I was able to ban all adult content. Benning woodwofrking content isn't feasible but have done a targeted ban for Teds however if affiliates pay for ads then they may be able to get round that ban. I will look into it in a bit more depth and see what can be done.

    Admin advice is to have nothing whatsoever to do with Teds Woodworking plans or similar.

    Ripoff, scam, plagiarizing are but a few words used to describe Ted's and a couple of others including a similar one for Sheds.

    We ban or deny access to thousands of prospective members per year who try to signup on here to advertise. Most are affiliate advertisers. The Teds paid affiliates get a 75% commission on each sale generated by their link to Teds site. They are a blight on the internet and especially woodworking sites.

    Below are our stats for spammers and around 90% of of the below are affiliates trying to make money off members.

    Spam-O-Matic Statistics
    276449 Spammers Denied Registration
    1055 Spammers Permanently Banned
    1103 Spammers submitted to StopForumSpam
    1140 Spammers submitted to Akismet
    13694 Spammy Posts Automatically Moderated

    Hope this helps members to understand a little more of what may be seen in the Ads at the top of the forum.

    Cheers - Neil
    KEEP A LID ON THE GARBAGE... Report spam, scams, and inappropriate posts, PMs and Blogs.
    Use the Report icon at the bottom of all Posts, PM's and Blog entries.


  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Rockhampton QLD
    Age
    69
    Posts
    1,570

    Default

    Thanks Neil, both yourself and your colleagues must spend an awful amount of time keeping these grubs at bay.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 1999
    Location
    Grovedale (Geelong) Victoria
    Age
    75
    Posts
    9,665

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by old1955
    Thanks Neil, both yourself and your colleagues must spend an awful amount of time keeping these grubs at bay.
    Thanks, but there's only a very of us left on the forums who have any idea just how much time and effort went into keeping the forums up and running and clean of spammers. The following is a bit of a story about what it has taken.

    In November 2011 hackers broke the human verification programs that been keeping these forums and many thousands of others around the world safe.

    We had been sailing along averaging around 10 - 20+ members signing up each day with the odd one being a spammer or trouble maker of some sort. However on the 24th Nov we had 80 sign up in 24 hrs and more the next day. This went on until for a number of weeks where we were in a pitched battle with hundreds and hundreds of lowlife spammers and scammers the worst day was 187 signed in.

    What has happened is that they had put a crack in the human verification programs like Capcha and this allowed around 0.05% of people signing up with bad intentions to get through. Half of a percent doesn't sound like much but when there are hundreds/thousands of robots generating signups at the rate of a million or more per hour that 0.05% amounted to a lot.

    Luckily we had a number of excellent moderators when this happened and working together we were able to stem the flow of these mongrels getting in. It took a number of months to fully slow them down. Never been able to shut them down and never likely to be able to.

    We used an number of different human verification programs and settled on one that had you add one or two pieces of a jigsaw to complete a picture. This was brilliant at stopping the bots. Don't think they've ever been able to work that one out. The jigsaw wasn't only a great deterrent to bots but it was a bit of fun.

    However and yes there is always at least one however..... The spammers started getting smart and hired for a few measly cents 3rd world down and outs to sign up where and when he bots couldn't.

    The other however is that older members without the aid of a 10 year old weren't able to figure out the jigsaw and so we started getting abuse emails from people saying things like "It's not the pentagon or some secret society so why the impossible signup?!!!" and way more abusive and colourful than that.

    We now use a spelling and comprehension test that I put on myself and believe it or not the bots can't work it out and for some reason the 3rd worlders either can't work it out or don't want to wast the few seconds it takes to answer the questions.

    On top if that we for the last few years have employed the services of Akismet that works in conjunction with Spam-O-Matic and Stop Forum Spam and can stop most spammers before the get to sign up.

    That, coupled with our brilliant and alert moderator xxxxxx and our fantastic member base that report spam, potential spam or spammers when they see them has helped us keep the forums almost spam and scam free for the last few years and made the moderating process way more easy.

    Hope I haven't put anyone to sleep with this massive ramble.

    Cheers - Neil
    PS And the above's only the half of it...... But not a story for another time.
    KEEP A LID ON THE GARBAGE... Report spam, scams, and inappropriate posts, PMs and Blogs.
    Use the Report icon at the bottom of all Posts, PM's and Blog entries.


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Birkdale
    Age
    52
    Posts
    32

    Default

    Good work mods/admin, and thank you.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Sutherland Shire, Sydney
    Age
    71
    Posts
    182

    Default Thanks Neil

    There is certainly a lot that goes on in the background that we don't see that makes this forum so great.

    Thanks to all who toil away in the background to keep the spammers, hackers and other low lifes at bay.

    Alan...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Bongaree, Queensland
    Age
    85
    Posts
    0

    Default

    Thank you, Add my thanks and appreciation to all who keep this forum running as it is meant to run. Brian.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Townsville, Nth Qld
    Posts
    102

    Default Thanks Neil and DavidG

    What an eye-opener your posts have been Neil. Keep up your great work. what a massive undertaking, 99.9995% of us would not have a clue as to what is involved in repelling the hordes at the firewall and keeping our great Forum safe
    regards,

    Dengy

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 1999
    Location
    Grovedale (Geelong) Victoria
    Age
    75
    Posts
    9,665

    Default

    Have been able to block the following:

    sapouli97.lpages.co/teds-woodworking/
    hobbymyn.com/woodworking-plans-and-projects/
    tedswoodworking.com/new/vsl

    Anyone stupid enough to follow any of the above links deserves to get scammed.

    Cheers - Neil
    KEEP A LID ON THE GARBAGE... Report spam, scams, and inappropriate posts, PMs and Blogs.
    Use the Report icon at the bottom of all Posts, PM's and Blog entries.


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    ACT
    Age
    85
    Posts
    546

    Default

    Hi,
    What gets me is that you hear of all these scams and rip off artists and how much Aussies have been ripped off but I have not heard of any creep being caught or charged.
    Regards
    Hugh

    Enough is enough, more than enough is too much.

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