Looking on the member lists starting September 19, I noticed that the spam account registrations had the following patterns (where mangaupdates time is GMT -07:00, or MUT):

-- On each weekday, the majority of account registration begin 5-7am MUT and stops around 4-5pm MUT on the same day.
--There have been a few "nightfill" registrations around midnight MUT between each day.
-- Registrations drop dramatically on Saturday and Sunday MUT.

To me it looks like a rostered, human-operated click farm, so CAPTCHA/reCAPTCHA alone won't work against this.

And it provides a clue as to where the spamming is coming from, assuming the spammers work regular hours during the daytime.

Hi there... I know some of this probably has been gone over in some form but...

As someone who has been under a rock for a bit, and just finding this to be happening… I have a few ideas.

Since this issue is partly due to account creation and forum usage, there is no easy way of fixing it without impacting the good honest users of the site and forums...

-Referral codes, with either an automated user generated platform, or by manual review via admin/mods.
-User generated: current members get so many referral codes due to tenure or a flat amount, which can be used to invite others to the forums, or potentially to create accounts. (See sites like toyhou.se, ie you have to receive a registration code from a current member in order to even create an account. Block all the bots...and limit new users for a while...)
-Manual Review: admin/mods receive an application for the ability to use forums, this would be impractical for new account creation… but would work at filtering new accounts ability to use forums.

-Update security captchas and security parameters, use dynamic captchas aka those annoying ones that you have to pick the cars or the street signs in. Not just the one where you have to click off on, that or look into another form of security parameter.

-Block excessive use of caps, there is not really a need for excessive caps in any form… that is what bold or the text formatting could be used for. (Think like the twitch.com bots that censor our excessive use of caps.)

-Other censorship: first post length parameters, excessive use of the same phrases or words in a single post, overall creating heavy limits for a period of time to deter this type of attack.

-Limit new users forum posts. Sucks for the good honest ones, but maybe require and introduction post with certain parameters to be met. I.E. Use keywords they must include into their introduction in order not to be filtered out of forum usage. Items that would be unique to this forum habitat. Also if something like this is done, make it clear via the verification email that forum usage is limited, or a form required in order to use.

-Create forum filters in the meantime as a bandaid, so that current users can hide this posts…they overrun the real posts.

From what it sounds like this issue has been on going, and is not something you can fix overnight… but to come back to this forum being attacked this way…. I’m fired up.

Hope any of these ideas helped… this place holds a special place in my life… so I hope it can be returned to its normal self soon.

Please close the registration for the time being or allow posts from new users to be approved before they start posting. This is getting ridiculous and extremely annoying!

Wouldn't there be a way to blacklist a string of keywords? All those spams have a word pattern that you are very unlikely to see in a regular forum conversation. Otherwise, ip blocking would be another solution.

I'd like to know what has been done by the admins to stop the spam. Could you give us some update about it?

Yes, you're worthy!

These days, everytime I go to the forums my eyes are spammed by YAHOO....This is getting old, fast. Please just make a blacklist of words or restrict the number of posts a new user is allowed to make.
Just as Nashnir said, recent spam all have "1-800-681-7208" in common.

Btw here's a list of recent spam users

https://www.mangaupdates.com/members.html?id=507921
https://www.mangaupdates.com/members.html?id=507922
https://www.mangaupdates.com/members.html?id=507923
https://www.mangaupdates.com/members.html?id=507926
https://www.mangaupdates.com/members.html?id=507927

If registration is gonna be (temporarily)closed, will it have some sort of invite system? A friend wanted to make an account but registration is curretly closed.

Message me with requested username and email address

A just ruler amongst tyrants