IP check requests...

I seem to be getting a fair number of them lately from people who suspect bogus registrations to post on the BOI. Well guys, honestly I tried to put a preemptive halt to that a while back with a paid requirement to post on the BOI and it was shot down in spectacular flames by the membership from the start. MANY people got royally upset about that move and left here in protest. So, OK, I rescinded it when it became obvious that the policy would have eventually killed the BOI, but that carried it's own particular drawbacks, which is what you see now with bogus registrations. Sorry, but you just can't have your cake and eat it too. Some of the mods or myself may be inclined to do the infrequent IP check here and there if there is a personal interest, but we do NOT do that upon demand. Probably more than anyone, I would like to see the quality of the BOI increase with an increase in the credibility and accurate identity of the people posting there, but that is much easier said then done.

Sorry, but the BOI is "as is", warts and all........

Rich's post is probably, at least partially, due to my reporting a post earlier when it became somewhat apparent that the name in the full name field was not the person posting. I looked at their history, brief as it was, and they seemed to be quite familiar pretty well immediately- and registered the name within a week of a few members being banned.

A fake name, a high degree of familiarity with other members immediately upon registering and the registration timing made me suspicious.

I certainly didn't mean for my "Report Post" text to come across like a demand or as if I were insisting that the mods take some action. I usually use that feature when I think I have caught something that they may or may not have, if it hasn't already been addressed.

Out of curiosity- what course of action should users take when they suspect they have found a fraudulent login?

Obviously demands for action cross a line. Is there some middle ground between that and ignoring it completely though?

I should just add- I apologize if I have ever come across as demanding when filling out those report post fields. It was certainly never my intention.

I used them with the understanding that they were to help the mods out, by having the user base filter through the hundreds and thousands of posts and flag some of them as possibly worthy of attention. Allowing the mods to skip reading each and every post in every thread for themselves.

If it's not helpful- in that the reports pile up and become a burden rather than an assistance, I'll stop immediately.

No, Seamus, your reported posts weren't interpreted as demands at all, but some other members have been rather adamant about the "duties" of myself and the mods. Matter of fact I have someone now pretty much demanding that I look into someone allegedly pulling a scam in the classifieds section. I just felt a reminder needed to be thrown out there that the mods (and myself as well when it comes right down to it) are all volunteers and basically give their time and efforts here on an "as available basis" and as their interests lead them. We are getting over 600 posts made every day now, and between 20 and 30 new registrations per day. It's going to be pretty tough for me to convince one of more of the mods to quit their day job in order to field all those posts and new registrations.....

In any event, I believe 99 percent of the false registrations to bypass bans have been determined by members based on their suspicions. And that has often gotten the perpetrators tossed out the door when those suspicions were acted on. But there is really nothing at all that will prevent someone hell bent to participate here from simply coming back in again after creating a new email address at gmail and using a proxy server to hide their identity.

As such, I felt a reminder needed to be stated that there REALLY isn't a whole lot than can be done about it except what little is already being done. It's just par for the course on a message board. And I'm sure a lot of new members here weren't around when this issue tried to be resolved, and did not witness the total flop that attempt turned out to be.

I guess most of us miss Ritchie Luna (aka "The Ferret") from back in the old days when he would smack down such registrations with uncanny regularity.