Remove extra periods from Gmail addresses

[mrhope]

As most probably know, Gmail e-mail addresses ignore periods allowing the user to have different e-mail addresses. For example, "simplemachineexample@gmail.com" could also be "simple.machine.example@gmail.com," "sim.ple.mac.hine.exa.mple.@gmail.com," etc.

This feature is nice. However, it's also used by spammers. I just fished deleting over 1,000 spam accounts using this technique to spam our forum.

I think it could help if SMF forums removed the periods for any @gmail.com or @googlemail.com submitted e-mail address or not treat Gmail addresses with extra periods as different addresses.

Having this ability can give a spammer the potential to create dozens of accounts for a single e-mail address.

Tip for those suffering from the same problem, to help find accounts using these tactics, you can search your forum members using search e-mail strings similar to the following examples.

*.?.*@gmail.com
*.??.*@gmail.com
*..*@gmail.com

[vbgamer45]

I can write a quick piece of code to do it for you.

I like keeping those accounts since it is easier to tell if it is a spammer or not.

[Kindred]

you know, there are much easier ways to spot and stop spammers.....

[mrhope]

I can write a quick piece of code to do it for you.

Might take you up on that vbgamer45, am I ok to PM you?

you know, there are much easier ways to spot and stop spammers.....

Well, I'd welcome suggestions. I've read and tried a lot of different suggestions and we have always got hammered with spammers. I've tried various captcha mods, re-create random questions on registration, and right now are doing verified posts for new users and temporarily verifying new accounts through Admin account. I believe a lot of our issues right now is using Cloudflare, which means we cannot ban off IP address, because it's using shared Cloudflare IP's and cannot get real IP from Cloudflare because IPv6 isn't supported SMF without heavy modification with the IPv6 mod.

[vbgamer45]

Sure

[GL700Wing]

you know, there are much easier ways to spot and stop spammers.....

Agreed - especially as this would effectively invalidate what are otherwise perfectly valid email addresses.

I use several gmail accounts with one or more period characters in them and AFAIK none of the forums/websites I use them on have ever stripped the period character(s) from my email address.

Also, the '+' character is also valid in email addresses to enable one email address to be used in multiple ways - example:
simplemachineexample+webmaster@gmail.com
simplemachineexample+forumadmin@gmail.com
simplemachineexample+memberadmin@gmail.com

I think the approach should be to use verification questions/challenges to prevent spammers from registering  - I have done this for many years with my SMF forums with a success rate of more than 99.5% (ie, less than 1 in 200 new members is a spammer) - rather than creating work for admins who then have to deal with these spammers after they've been allowed them to join.

Well, I'd welcome suggestions. I've read and tried a lot of different suggestions and we have always got hammered with spammers. I've tried various captcha mods, re-create random questions on registration

I also use the BadBehavior for SMF, httpBL, Image for Anti-Spam Verification Questions and StopSpammer mods.

[Kindred]

build 20-30 questions, ask 2 during registration -- you do have to cycle them every year or so.

I have not had a spammer register in 3 years now.

[Matthias]

gmail should be a goal these days.
A lot of human spammers somewhere in dark rooms use it, because you can generate unlimited email addresses...
A nice way to get protect of them, is like kindred described. You can use questions for registration, maybe about 20 or above, regularly changing.

[vbgamer45]

For 2.0.x Sources/Subs-Members.php
Find

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// !!! Separate the sprintf?
if (empty($regOptions['email']) || filter_var($regOptions['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL) === false || strlen($regOptions['email']) > 255)
$reg_errors[] = array('lang', 'profile_error_bad_email');



Add Before

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    $spacesDomainList = array('gmail.com','googlemail.com');
    foreach($spacesDomainList as $spaceDomain)
    {
        $tmp = explode("@", $regOptions['email']);
        $emailDomainCheck = array_pop($tmp);
        if ($emailDomainCheck === $spaceDomain)
        {
            $regOptions['email'] = str_replace(".","",$tmp[0]) . '@' . $spaceDomain;
        }   
   
    }


[Shambles]

Good one VB, though to catch @Gmail.com and @GMAIL.com derivatives, I'd make a slight change:

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$emailDomainCheck = array_pop($tmp);

to

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$emailDomainCheck = strtolower(array_pop($tmp));