Preventing dual accounts

Started by PenelopeQ, October 14, 2019, 12:56:57 PM

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PenelopeQ

How can I set something up to prevent a user from creating second account?

I allow it with permission--such as if their identity is discovered on the outside, but this needs to be by permission.

Sorry almost forgot...
And is there a way I can now search for dual accounts that have already been created?

Arantor

You basically can't. SMF will prevent reuse of email and username but that's about all you can actually do in practice. You can't rely on IP address because of VPNs and mobile providers who reuse IP addresses, and that's the only data you could have.

Sir Osis of Liver

SMF prevents users from registering with username or email address that's already been used, and prevents multiple registrations during same session.  That's pretty much it.  Same problem as trying to ban someone who re-registers with different username, different email, and comes in with different ip.  I can register as many times as I want on this forum using mail forwards and vpn.  Basically, if you can't ban them, you can't block them from registering.
Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

Arantor

Don't even need mail forwards, plus addressing will get you there ([email protected] is perfectly valid on most providers and routes you to [email protected]) and just deleting cookies fixed the session hurdle. (Or Incognito mode, that works too.)

Doug Heffernan

Quote from: PenelopeQ on October 14, 2019, 12:56:57 PM
How can I set something up to prevent a user from creating second account?

The only way when you can block users from creating more than one account is if they use the same ip. Otherwise, as mentioned above, it is impossible to prevent it.

Quote from: PenelopeQ on October 14, 2019, 12:56:57 PM
Sorry almost forgot...
And is there a way I can now search for dual accounts that have already been created?

You will need a custom mod for this, but it will not be very effective to be honest.

Arantor

Doesn't SMF have a "try to find duplicate accounts" option where it looks for multiple accounts that share the same IP?

PenelopeQ

Thanks guys.

We've only had the one issue of abuse with dual accounts and others have used them to lurk anonymously. My admin thinks it's fine without banning dual accounts.

efk

Quote from: PenelopeQ on October 14, 2019, 04:21:28 PM
Thanks guys.

We've only had the one issue of abuse with dual accounts and others have used them to lurk anonymously. My admin thinks it's fine without banning dual accounts.
Hi, I was dealing a lot with very problematic/toxic people and there was always some solution that pushed away problematic individual, few of them were absolutely extreme cases and I won their games, each time, so I'm sure with right moves you can easily solve situation. Tell me more about that person and what exactly she does, so based on her behavior I might give you ideas how to crush and demotivate her. After all, she wants attention and you can really do things to her which will push her away. So send me a private message with full info about her behavior and I'll make her vanish or she will be forced to play your game with your rules. I believe that I mastered that brain war with users, but its 99% easier to fight person like its in your case without much knowledge and passionate/connected to forum, than to fight against someone who have wide knowledge, for example someone with 10000+ posts from SMF. My point is in your case you are dealing with limited person, it doesn't matter that she was part of internal discussions or more, exception can be if she knows a lot of how does forum work and if she is reading a lot on this forum.
What you did wrong is ban. The most effective way to break person like its in your situation is to not let the things to go that way so she is forced to go with new accounts and motivated to work harder.

QuoteIs there a way I can access the account of the banned members?
Yes, go to Admin panel/there is a admin menu which start with Main, Configuration ... and click there Members. There you can search banned members and y0u can use Track User button, but have on mind that you won't be able to follow IPs if you deleted posts/topics of banned members, because each post has its own IP when posted and for some reason you won't see connection with Track User if post is in Recycle bin or even fully deleted. Also in same Dropdown menu with Members you have Ban List.

Also to mention new mod Block Proxy VPN On Registration which is supposed to do its job.

Kindred

I will make a variation my usual statement:


Trying to use a technical solution to solve a social problem is doomed to failure
Слaва
Украинi

Please do not PM, IM or Email me with support questions.  You will get better and faster responses in the support boards.  Thank you.

"Loki is not evil, although he is certainly not a force for good. Loki is... complicated."


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