False registrations...

Originally Posted by varnyard

I had another user name long, long ago, I don't remember the name or the password. I was not that active here then, and it was on another ISP and IP back then.

But I only use/have this one since the join date on this account.

Multiple accounts are apparently quite common here. There are several people who have multiple accounts and wish to visit the site without being noticed. And certainly some people find it advantageous, although not approved, to be able to say things under cover that they would prefer not have associated with their own name. Sometimes tossing crap around, even though the crap serves a legitimate purpose, can possibly cause some unwelcome splash back.

And on the other hand, some people will change their ISP and/or email address and lose their login info. In such cases, some find it just easier to create a new account. It happens.....

Originally Posted by nora

Would it be possible to request proof of ID? like asking a person to email a copy of their Driver's license or passport if a person's identity is questionable by staff?

That would require a labor and time involvement from someone. Any volunteers?

Originally Posted by Mooing Tricycle

What about a Question Verification thing?( i had one that asked me When it rains, what does it get? and had wet or dry *case sensitive* as what you had to answer) They cant be that difficult to implement into the forum registration forms, and while annoying to an extent, they can help decrease the number of fake registrations.

I know they have the smart bots now that can figure out the response/answer in those jumbled letter things, but maybe one of them instead/too. if its gonna help. *shrug*

This isn't targeted towards robotic spamming programs, but instead real people who register under bogus names and temporary anonymous email addresses.

Originally Posted by Mooing Tricycle

im not sure if people care so much on the general forums ( i know i dont so much on those areas of the site, maybe others do) but the BOI instead. I WOULD have a problem with people posting under fake names there.

Especially if they are posting false information that is obviously damaging to someone's reputation and has the possibility of hurting their business. I doubt anyone being the target of such behavior would be real pleased with the situation. But recourse will you have? None, really, except to hope the readers can see through the baseless accusations.

Originally Posted by nora

no im not saying they submit the proof at the time of registration.. Just only when its been questioned.

for example that guy in the BOI that had his posts deleted in the Tim Lofton thread that had the bogus name. rich couldve told him "hey you need to send me a digital image of your ID to validate who you are and I'm giving you only 24 hours otherwise your account will be suspended and your posts deleted."

Its kinda like a POA concept (proof of age) when buying cigarettes or beer at the store and the clerk asks to see your id. No ID no booze.

That particular member admitted right in that thread that his name was false. That doesn't happen that way very often, so that was an easy one to deal with.

But even limiting the scope to only those who are questioned, again, SOMEONE will have to do the footwork involved. And it will not be yours truly....

Rich, could you require a valid credit card number to verify identity without actually charging a fee to post on the BOI?

Originally Posted by monkeywrench133

Rich, could you require a valid credit card number to verify identity without actually charging a fee to post on the BOI?

Not manually I couldn't. Or more accurately, wouldn't. I'm really not looking for more work for me to do here.

Can this be done programatically and automatically? Even programmatically, the transaction would have to go through an account, and I'm not sure the credit card companies wouldn't charge a "per transaction" fee, regardless of the amount.... With no real transactions, there would likely be a fee just for keeping the account open.

so pretty much this is based on the honor system.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

That particular member admitted right in that thread that his name was false. That doesn't happen that way very often, so that was an easy one to deal with.

But even limiting the scope to only those who are questioned, again, SOMEONE will have to do the footwork involved. And it will not be yours truly....

no it would be who ever questioned it.. if Jim felt it was questionable then he could ask, or Dennis, or Tom.. it would actually be a collective effort with all of staff

besides why would anyone make you do more work than you're already doing now? it would be like asking you to come over and clean cages for me. lol

Originally Posted by nora

no it would be who ever questioned it.. if Jim felt it was questionable then he could ask, or Dennis, or Tom.. it would actually be a collective effort with all of staff

besides why would anyone make you do more work than you're already doing now? it would be like asking you to come over and clean cages for me. lol

I guess this is really a non-issue to most people, so that is fine with me, then. And this suggestion is the best one made so far, all things considered.

In a nutshell, if someone is concerned about someone being a false registration here, then YOU can do the footwork to try to determine whether this is true or not. As far as myself or the mods entertaining requests from suspicious members to run IP checks on other members, thanks, but no thanks. We all have better things to do with our time. Most of the worst offenders know how to avoid IP matches anyway, so this typically proves to be a wasted effort anyway.