Bogus LO Accounts

Dennis Ladnier

Does anyone else have issues with bogus accounts being created with LO from surveys - we seem to get many first/last names which both start with "58f" as an example; first name=58f74d48c6255, last name=58f74d48c63a9.

All seem to have valid emails/etc just the names are invalid.


Thanks

Brian Worrall 2

We also suddenly seem to be receiving spam registrations - a steady stream since about 2AM last night.

Copy me on any answers you might receive

 

Brian Mucha

Have you tried adding the CAPTCHA question to your survey? It's not bulletproof, but it could help.


You can even add it to a form built with the Survey API.


BPM

Ami Defesche

dennis ladnier:

Does anyone else have issues with bogus accounts being created with LO from surveys - we seem to get many first/last names which both start with "58f" as an example; first name=58f74d48c6255, last name=58f74d48c63a9.

All seem to have valid emails/etc just the names are invalid.


Thanks

If you haven't already, I'd recommend making a support case as well. That way, if multiple folks are reporting this kind of behavior we can get to the bottom of it. Thanks!

Ryan O'Keefe

Ami Defesche:

dennis ladnier:

Does anyone else have issues with bogus accounts being created with LO from surveys - we seem to get many first/last names which both start with "58f" as an example; first name=58f74d48c6255, last name=58f74d48c63a9.

All seem to have valid emails/etc just the names are invalid.


Thanks

If you haven't already, I'd recommend making a support case as well. That way, if multiple folks are reporting this kind of behavior we can get to the bottom of it. Thanks!

 

I would also see how many of those users open email within the first 30 days.  It would be also helpful to create a support ticket so that we can blacklist any spammers from specific IPs.  If you have a profiling campaign it wouldn't hurt to use it to reach and have them update their names.  Can be something as simple as an email confirming their recent signup and verfiy their information through auto-login link tied to a survey.    If they don't respond, probably someone you'd like to suppress from future emails as they could potential hurt your sender reputation with Gmail.

Jeremy Reynolds

Ryan O'Keefe:

Ami Defesche:

dennis ladnier:

Does anyone else have issues with bogus accounts being created with LO from surveys - we seem to get many first/last names which both start with "58f" as an example; first name=58f74d48c6255, last name=58f74d48c63a9.

All seem to have valid emails/etc just the names are invalid.

We get tons of junk submissions because our external website has a newsletter signup form on every page. Like, +10k on one of 'em.


Blocking by IP might not work, by the way. Spammers usually have a bank of computers (either a server farm, or a botnet), so each submission looks like it's coming from a different location.


Ami, do you know if there's a double-opt-in setting available in LO? MailChimp doesn't add form submissions to their lists unless the user clicks a link in an auto-generated email.

Erik Leaver

Jeremy Reynolds:

Ryan O'Keefe:

Ami Defesche:

dennis ladnier:

Does anyone else have issues with bogus accounts being created with LO from surveys - we seem to get many first/last names which both start with "58f" as an example; first name=58f74d48c6255, last name=58f74d48c63a9.

All seem to have valid emails/etc just the names are invalid.

We get tons of junk submissions because our external website has a newsletter signup form on every page. Like, +10k on one of 'em.


Blocking by IP might not work, by the way. Spammers usually have a bank of computers (either a server farm, or a botnet), so each submission looks like it's coming from a different location.


Ami, do you know if there's a double-opt-in setting available in LO? MailChimp doesn't add form submissions to their lists unless the user clicks a link in an auto-generated email.

 

There isn't a true double opt in setting but I've started to see clients creating a similar process by using their first welcome message as a double-opt in by asking supporters to click a button to confirm registration. This button is coded to add a constituent to a group of "verified addresses". 


There is also a small code snippet you can use in your email sign up form to help prevent spam attempts:


<span style="display: none;">

       <input alt="This field is used to prevent form submission by scripts." id="denySubmit" name="denySubmit" type="text" value="">Please leave this field empty</span>


Best,

Erik

Brian Mucha

That's genius.


BPM

Dennis Ladnier

Everyone - thanks for the suggestions and, unfortunately, this issue is much larger than what we experience.


Thanks, Dennis

Sarah Kershaw

Hi Evreyone, I have a related issue, the same junk email accounts being created, but they are coming from an external microsite (that we own) that is set to 301 redirect to a page on our site. 


All this to say, I know they are junk and can easily isolate them with a query. I want to remove them from my LO database altogether, beyond adding them to a 'Do Not Email' query-based group, I want them GONE!!


Does anyone know how to delete constituents in a group en masse? I'm hoping there's a magic button somewhere that allows me to do this. 


SK


Jeremy Reynolds:

Ryan O'Keefe:

Ami Defesche:

dennis ladnier:

Does anyone else have issues with bogus accounts being created with LO from surveys - we seem to get many first/last names which both start with "58f" as an example; first name=58f74d48c6255, last name=58f74d48c63a9.

All seem to have valid emails/etc just the names are invalid.

We get tons of junk submissions because our external website has a newsletter signup form on every page. Like, +10k on one of 'em.


Blocking by IP might not work, by the way. Spammers usually have a bank of computers (either a server farm, or a botnet), so each submission looks like it's coming from a different location.


Ami, do you know if there's a double-opt-in setting available in LO? MailChimp doesn't add form submissions to their lists unless the user clicks a link in an auto-generated email.

 

 

Erik Leaver

Hi Sarah,


Earlier in the thread I noted a way to mimick a full double opt in -- there isn't a setting in LO for a double opt-in like some other vendors have. But folks like AARP are using the method I described. Also, have you tried implementing the hidden field trick? While it won't stop everything, it should help.


Best,

Erik

Sara Johansen

Hi, Sarah. We are also dealing with the same issues. Once you isolate those constituents in a group you can log a case with support to have the records removed that are in the group.


We have not come up with a solution to reduce the volume we get. We already had the hidden field code in our forms so that does not seem to work for us.I am going to keep looking at options for add a "verify" link to the welcome series emails. 

Sarah Kershaw

Ah! thank you - good tip. Nice to know we're not the only ones battling this.

I will also experiment with adding the hidden field. 


SK

Erik Leaver

I know adding a reCAPTCHA is often a measure too far for many organizations, the team there just released invisible reCAPTCHA. It only displays the CAPTCHA if there is a security risk / identification of a bot. It's worth checking out: https://www.google.com/recaptcha/intro/invisible.html


Taking these extra steps, especially if you are getting hammered with bots, will be helpful not only for your data hygiene but for helping improve your email deliverabilty reputation. 


Best,

Erik