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Topic: Growing SEO spam on Bitcointalk (Read 1154 times)

legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
March 01, 2024, 06:35:18 AM
#55
Today i found someone perform another way to perform SEO spam by including spam link and description on profile page.
Years ago, when downloading all old profiles, I found (if I remember correctly) 30k profiles with similar URLs. Most of them are probably proxy banned, but even if they get a real ban, that profile information won't get wiped.

And i thought it's relative new SEO spam trick. While i agree such profile information won't get wiped by admin, simply adding rel=ugc on either all profile or limited to both new/banned account should reduce such SEO spam.
legendary
Activity: 3290
Merit: 16489
Thick-Skinned Gang Leader and Golden Feather 2021
March 01, 2024, 06:19:44 AM
#54
Today i found someone perform another way to perform SEO spam by including spam link and description on profile page.
Years ago, when downloading all old profiles, I found (if I remember correctly) 30k profiles with similar URLs. Most of them are probably proxy banned, but even if they get a real ban, that profile information won't get wiped.
legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
March 01, 2024, 05:36:54 AM
#53
Today i found someone perform another way to perform SEO spam by including spam link and description on profile page. Here's an example.



In addition, there's no rel="ugc" tag which makes the URL would have higher position on search engine result. Take note i manually remove "https://www." and replace "." with "dot. I would suggest admin to add rel=ugc for link shown on profile page to discourage those spammer.

Code:
legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
December 26, 2023, 05:08:28 AM
#52
Edit: Here's current report result. 2 Good, 1 Unhandled and 1 Bad. None of them got banned or nuked. If we want to see those user got banned or nuked, i expect we'll need separate thread which contain more detailed report/explanation.
It is unexpected that they weren't left having one single topic per user for their ads. Not banning is something expected as their topics are in the correct section, but having so many topics per each looks like spam. If they had just one per one web site, it would look more expected... And these examples is just the tip of the iceberg...

Yeah, they should only create only 1 thread/topic for their website/service. Although today there are 2 changes from my previous update.
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 3049
December 24, 2023, 04:19:52 AM
#51
Edit: Here's current report result. 2 Good, 1 Unhandled and 1 Bad. None of them got banned or nuked. If we want to see those user got banned or nuked, i expect we'll need separate thread which contain more detailed report/explanation.

It is unexpected that they weren't left having one single topic per user for their ads. Not banning is something expected as their topics are in the correct section, but having so many topics per each looks like spam. If they had just one per one web site, it would look more expected... And these examples is just the tip of the iceberg...

legendary
Activity: 2870
Merit: 7490
Crypto Swap Exchange
December 22, 2023, 04:46:35 AM
#50
I'm not sure if this case should be considered as SEO spam, because all topics are in a Digital goods section, but how many topics is it okay to open for some different goods presented on the same site of a same project? Clone script sellers are among those who open multiple topics again and again. And they are not the only ones. Is it what should be reported or is it okay? Huh

And nearly forgot to show examples of what do I mean. Grin

https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/bellascott-3580198
https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/karimu-2716490
https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/parkerbeleaf-3564921
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;threads;u=3120410;sa=showPosts

As for me all that looks like spam, but there are so many examples that it looks like a legitimate practice.

I'd just treat them as SEO spam. In addition, many of thread/reply they create are extremely similar. Anyway, i reported all of them and let's see whether moderator nuke them.

Edit: Here's current report result. 2 Good, 1 Unhandled and 1 Bad. None of them got banned or nuked. If we want to see those user got banned or nuked, i expect we'll need separate thread which contain more detailed report/explanation.
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 3049
December 20, 2023, 08:44:05 AM
#49
I'm not sure if this case should be considered as SEO spam, because all topics are in a Digital goods section, but how many topics is it okay to open for some different goods presented on the same site of a same project? Clone script sellers are among those who open multiple topics again and again. And they are not the only ones. Is it what should be reported or is it okay? Huh

And nearly forgot to show examples of what do I mean. Grin

https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/bellascott-3580198
https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/karimu-2716490
https://bitcointalksearch.org/user/parkerbeleaf-3564921
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;threads;u=3120410;sa=showPosts

As for me all that looks like spam, but there are so many examples that it looks like a legitimate practice.
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 3049
November 15, 2023, 04:07:12 AM
#48
New shill spam wave, now it is "N3 coin on INNODEX". They make multiple accounts at the moment.

sooun22 is already banned
Others are reported, all their posts are Innodex spam, all posts are made today:
niceyoo
qwer8023
luckyday1

I guess they can make more and more shill accounts. If you'll see someone with several topics/posts with N3 advertising, I guess it will be good to report it.
full member
Activity: 868
Merit: 190
web developer for hire
November 04, 2023, 07:53:51 AM
#47
Just one Google update and this could change in a blink of a second.

I wish this never to happen though. I like the forum because of the awesome members present here.
It won't change anything it doesn't matter where google puts the forum in search results. If ppl want to discuss cryptocurrencies they'll find their way here.

I'm pretty sure Bitcointalk is compliant with every Google update, all website administrators link their accounts on Google Webmaster Central so they will have updates of any incoming updates so they can take all the necessary actions, the moderators are actively deleting spam and ban people who posted malware on the forum so the forum is clean from being reported as hosting a malware.
I believe Bitcointalk is still the authority when it comes to the Bitcoin community.
There isn't malware here so when it's about google how much difference does deleting spam make to results? Bitcointalk's still the main forum for bitcoin because ppl find their way here from word of mouth even if google's lowering bitcointalk.org in their results.
copper member
Activity: 3948
Merit: 2201
Verified awesomeness ✔
November 02, 2023, 10:42:56 AM
#46
They now came with new links, it is on mega.nz and doesn't contain the name "PhoenixMiner" in the link. It is just of a letter-and-number combination. I've reported them, but maybe to check not only in the link, but any post with these words which contains an outgoing link?
Added a few more things. If you find anything else, feel free to send me a private message. Wink
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 3049
November 02, 2023, 10:41:31 AM
#45
PhoenixMinerReborn
The name "PhoenixMiner" is often (ab)used to spam malware. Notify @Mitchell, so MindlessElectron can wipe them.
They're already marked on my Finding spam and scams by keyword site. Maybe MindlessElectron currently doesn't delete posts if the keyword only matches part of a word.
Thank you for tagging my bot. I've added the URL

They now came with new links, it is on mega.nz and doesn't contain the name "PhoenixMiner" in the link. It is just of a letter-and-number combination. I've reported them, but maybe to check not only in the link, but any post with these words which contains an outgoing link?
copper member
Activity: 3948
Merit: 2201
Verified awesomeness ✔
November 02, 2023, 07:22:11 AM
#44
PhoenixMinerReborn
The name "PhoenixMiner" is often (ab)used to spam malware. Notify @Mitchell, so MindlessElectron can wipe them.
They're already marked on my Finding spam and scams by keyword site. Maybe MindlessElectron currently doesn't delete posts if the keyword only matches part of a word.
Thank you for tagging my bot. I've added the URL
legendary
Activity: 3290
Merit: 16489
Thick-Skinned Gang Leader and Golden Feather 2021
November 02, 2023, 05:17:10 AM
#43
PhoenixMinerReborn
The name "PhoenixMiner" is often (ab)used to spam malware. Notify @Mitchell, so MindlessElectron can wipe them.
They're already marked on my Finding spam and scams by keyword site. Maybe MindlessElectron currently doesn't delete posts if the keyword only matches part of a word.
legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 3049
November 02, 2023, 05:11:11 AM
#42
We have some strange activity. I found already 6 newbies (yikeoplotir, Udinatoer, SAULpetiko, Judartens, warternito, qelepotyj) who leave the same text in different topics to promote something on github. Of course I'll report all these cases, but probably some other measures can be needed. Or if you'll see the came text from a newbie just report it as well. At least it can be considered as plagiarism as there's no link on the source and all post the same (link deleted not to promote):

I present to your attention our miner - PhoenixMinerReborn.
We have been in closed beta for more than a month and are now ready to release the public version of the miner.
Our github:
Key Features:
1) The miner uses approximate developments of the famous PhoenixMiner
2) Support for all modern video card models
3) Choice of two versions - GUI version and miner command line version
4) Support for all new algorithms for POW mining
5) At the moment it is time to test the public version, there is no commission. Will be added later
hero member
Activity: 2996
Merit: 598
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
October 20, 2023, 09:50:10 AM
#41
A site that existed for 10 years does not just lose its authority.

Just one Google update and this could change in a blink of a second.

I wish this never to happen though. I like the forum because of the awesome members present here.

I'm pretty sure Bitcointalk is compliant with every Google update, all website administrators link their accounts on Google Webmaster Central so they will have updates of any incoming updates so they can take all the necessary actions, the moderators are actively deleting spam and ban people who posted malware on the forum so the forum is clean from being reported as hosting a malware.
I believe Bitcointalk is still the authority when it comes to the Bitcoin community.
member
Activity: 136
Merit: 16
October 20, 2023, 09:18:29 AM
#40
A site that existed for 10 years does not just lose its authority.

Just one Google update and this could change in a blink of a second.

I wish this never to happen though. I like the forum because of the awesome members present here.
global moderator
Activity: 3794
Merit: 2612
In a world of peaches, don't ask for apple sauce
October 20, 2023, 06:50:17 AM
#39
rel="ugc" attributes on links posted by Newbies (so essentially anyone without any merit points) are already being added since around January, 2021:

Not sure what they're trying to do. In case it is some SEO-motivated thing, I added rel="ugc" to all newbie links. While I was at it, I also added this to all links in signatures.

Thanks to everyone reporting them!

Thanks for letting us know. I didn't inspect link posted by newbie user earlier. Anyway, i did further research and Google say other way to discourage spammer is by adding "noindex robots meta tag"[1]. But it's not practical option since entire page wouldn't be index by google. But on other hand, one of Google documentation mention it's possible to include multiple values inside rel[2]. Anyway i have following question to people who own website,

Do you think using all possible value (such as rel="nofollow,noindex,ugc") would further discourage spammer from performing SEO spam?

[1] https://developers.google.com/search/docs/monitor-debug/prevent-abuse
[2] https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links
AFAIK rel="ugc" sends the same signal to Google as the old rel="nofollow" - "I don't endorse or vouch for this website". The only difference is that the signal has more granularity (identifiying the particular reason as to why the website doesn't vouch for the URL). Anyone still spamming with the effective nofollow-like links on their SEO spam is most likely doing one or more of the following:
  • Doing it as a hired marketing agency and partially deceiving their client who expects dofollow links.
  • Hoping to rank up to where their links become dofollow
  • Are fine with getting nofollow backlinks (e.g. if the link is visible, to entice potential visitors)
  • Havent bothered figuring out or monitoring if their links are dofollow

There's other reasons, but in general, those that are still spamming links that have been nofollow for 2 years now are probably not going to stop as those who do care have already figured it out and directed their efforts elsewhere.
global moderator
Activity: 3794
Merit: 2612
In a world of peaches, don't ask for apple sauce
October 19, 2023, 10:30:19 AM
#38
While the discussion seems to have expanded beyond just site-wide technological solutions (to detecting, catching and discussing larger cases of SEO / link spam), rel="ugc" attributes on links posted by Newbies (so essentially anyone without any merit points) are already being added since around January, 2021:

Not sure what they're trying to do. In case it is some SEO-motivated thing, I added rel="ugc" to all newbie links. While I was at it, I also added this to all links in signatures.

Thanks to everyone reporting them!

Someone did notice the rel="ugc" attributes on signature links but I haven't seen the change to newbie links mentioned here (hence this post). Nevertheless, do keep reporting any cases of SEO spam you notice - especially if posted by non-newbie users. Also, the age of the post doesn't really matter if it's SEO spam.
sr. member
Activity: 322
Merit: 318
The Alliance Of Bitcointalk Translators - ENG>BAN
October 19, 2023, 09:18:15 AM
#37
But later it's edited add SEO spam link, which wouldn't be noticed by most member.
Those are hard to find, but it has been going on for years. I report them with "Spammer. Nuke please.".
But they're hard to find, and I only find them when I stumble upon them. MindlessElectron can't find them, as it only sees new posts.

One way to find them all would be if Bitcointalk creates a page like patrol, but for edited posts only.

I don't know what just happened but I clicked that link of yours. In that patrol page, everything is massed up, overlapped.  Tongue Maybe because of extension.

legendary
Activity: 1974
Merit: 3049
October 19, 2023, 07:22:09 AM
#36
Now we have a started wave of 0xfutures shilling.

Well, posts of two most active shillers were deleted by my reports and by someone else's reports, so let's fight with spam shillers further.

Usually there's no need in reference post to report, but this time I need rather big explanation about why do I suppose that there is a group of shillers or a shiller farm.

Accounts involved:
nennanem
frank07a
n0tailbg
Mart1ncrypto
aria.newman

All these accounts were used for spam shilling cryptogeek website. Usually their posts have no content, only motivation to follow the link. One of the posts for example, not to advertise the link I'll show it with a picture:



Later frank07a and n0tailbg woke at once after about a year of inactivity just to start to shill xgo exchange. Others, except nennanem, woke at the same time after a year of inactivity, and aria.newman to quote one of a xgo shill posts of n0tailbg.

As many shillers usually do, this group is using AI bot for their posts.

Hello everyone,

I've been following this discussion with great interest, as the concern of sending digital currency to the wrong address is something that's crossed my mind many times. It's true that due to the decentralized structure of cryptocurrencies, once the funds are sent to a wrong address, recovering them becomes nearly impossible.

However, recently I came across a service called WalletID that introduces an interesting solution to this problem. Instead of using the long, complex traditional crypto addresses, WalletID allows users to receive crypto on a short, personalized WalletID that they can create for themselves. It's like a username for your crypto wallet. You can send from popular wallets like Metamask, Coinbase, and Trust Wallet directly to these WalletIDs. This approach greatly reduces the chances of sending funds to a wrong address because the ID is more memorable and user-friendly.

It's not a foolproof solution, but it's an innovative step towards minimizing errors in transactions. Worth checking out if you're concerned about sending funds to the wrong address.
copyleaks AI Content Detected
hivemoderation 99.9% likely to contain AI Generated Text

Starting online investment, particularly trading, can be a rewarding endeavor, but it's not without risk. As a beginner, the key is to first educate yourself thoroughly about the markets, trading strategies, and risk management. Understand that it's not a get-rich-quick scheme; it requires patience, discipline, and continuous learning. Start small, diversify your investments, and only invest money you're prepared to lose. It's advisable to consider seeking advice from a financial advisor. Your success in trading largely depends on your ability to make informed decisions, stay updated with market trends, and manage risks effectively.
copyleaks AI Content Detected
hivemoderation 99.6% likely to contain AI Generated Text
sapling.ai Fake: 100.0%

There are several more users mentioned xgo several times this year, but I'm not sure they are also shillers, so will report these 5 accounts for first.
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