We have been plagued by automated computer programs used by spammers to register fake user accounts on our forums. They use these accounts to include their websites so that when someone looks through our memberlist or their profile, their site would appear. This would give them free traffic and exposure. They usually hawk medication, porn, and other shady pratices on these websites.
It has been a frustrating few weeks for me to try to figure out a way to fight these parasitic individuals and their automated programs. The good news is that I have made some changes to our forum software to deal with this issue. Links to user websites will only be displayed if a user has posted at least one message in our forums. It seems to be working so far and the spam links are no longer displayed.
I say this with caution because these people always seem to find a way to get around it. When that time comes, please let me know and I will try to figure out a new way to deal with these people.
