OurPath (formerly SSN) Open Forum / A note about spammers

**Posted by phoenix** February 4, 2019 8:21 am

As our forum grows and the spammers and people with bad intent get more clever and creative, we get more and more spam accounts. Even with our security features that require an email confirmation and a code to be typed in - we still get scammers, "bots", and potentially even pranksters.

Lately we've been getting multiple Russian accounts. Then there was this Robert character - who I could tell was a fraud based on his IP location, time zone and email signup.

I just want to say thanks to the members who have contacted me and who keep an eye out for things that seem "fishy". Please don't hesitate to send me a private message sharing your concerns. I do my best to stay on top of this, but I'm not by my computer all the time (especially on weekends, when I tend not to be at all).

Thanks everyone!

**Posted by walkbymyself** February 4, 2019 1:22 pm

Thanks, phoenix. You'd think the Russians would have more important sites to hack.

**Posted by Ellexoh_nz** February 4, 2019 2:32 pm

walkbymyself wrote:
Thanks, phoenix. You'd think the Russians would have more important sites to hack.

LOL

**Posted by phoenix** February 4, 2019 3:03 pm

right.. lol. I wonder if we are just target practice

**Posted by phoenix** February 4, 2019 3:05 pm

I should say this though..

We are not closed to Russian straight spouses. It just so happens that we get a ton of fake accounts with russian IP and email addresses.

***If anyone from Russia does sign up and is really a legitimate straight spouse, please IM me and let me know. I would feel awful if I turned someone away who was a real straight spouse in need of help.

**Posted by gonzo2000** February 6, 2019 1:24 am

I did wonder about "Robert", who asked how to tell his wife that he is gay. And I decided to give him the benefit of my doubt by telling him to be honest.
Thank you, Phoenix and duped, for recognizing the spammer.

**Posted by walkbymyself** February 6, 2019 12:25 pm

I'm no expert on the dynamics going on in Russia, but a mixed-orientation marriage in Russia would by necessity be worlds apart from what we experience here, if only because gays are so harshly persecuted there. I may come of as completely paranoid, but if Russian trolls are attempting to gain access to us, it may be that they're looking for viable blackmail material.