FIXED: scripted anonymous comments showing up despite settings

1. 85

   DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years ago

   Normally, I approve 99% of all comments left on my hubs.  But twice today, and once yesterday, there were comments left, all by "anonymous," that I simply denied because they were just way out of line.
   
   Not demeaning, offensive, hateful, or anything like that...just WAY off topic.
   
   In the first case, it was a compliment for "all your great photos,"...and showing so-and-so's personality ...etc...and the comment was addressed to a couple of people (or one person with 2 names) by name... but had nothing to do with me or the hub on which it was posted--which was a very short poem with no photos, and not about any person at all.  ... Just a random weird comment...
   
   In the second case, the comment was a rather lengthy rant about what should be done about rogue cops that go around shooting first and asking questions later.  In point of fact, I agreed with the commenter's position, but it had no business on the hub in question.  It bore not even the most remote relation to the topic of the hub.
   
   I denied both. 
   
   A third comment by "anonymous" on another hub, I did approve, because it was a valid, on-topic statement.
   
   I wonder what is going on, here?  Why would someone just post random comments on an unrelated hub, or even more stupidly, address a personal comment to someone else on an unrelated hub?
   
   Is there a glitch in HP, making the comment flow to some other person's hub?  Or have I simply been besieged by crazy people in the last 2 days???
   
   ....and in just the last few moments since posting this...along came another "anonymous" comment...this one was in poor taste and not at all funny...also deleted....I don't object to traffic--but I don't need this kind.
   
   Has anyone else been the victim of such nonsense?

   report
   1. 94

      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/115850
      
      http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/115854

      report
      1. 85

         DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Hmm...thanks, wilderness.
         
         I do have my comments set to 'must be approved' before being published...but it is still annoying...
         
         I'd say at least 2 were spam..but when I hit 'deny'  it just asked if I wanted to "delete forever" ...there was no way to mark it as spam....    (Need a 'shrugging shoulders' emoticon....)

         report
   2. 92

      Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes! I went trough this about a month ago.-- exactly the type of thing you describe.  I probably got about 50 of them on various hubs.
      Like you, at first I was puzzled by the "anonymous" comments, but someone convinced me that it was spam and could contain invisible links. The best thing to do is to  delete them quickly with no reply.

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      1. 86

         WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Invisible links? Lol
         
         But yes. Delete delete delete.

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         1. 92

            Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            You've never heard of the missing link?

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   3. 61

      The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      They definitely sound like spam. Delete them.

      report
   4. 70

      Matthew Meyerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Try posting to the technical issues forum next time as this forum as not every thread in this forum topic is reviewed by staff.
      
      This appears to be a bug and our engineering team is working on resolving the issue.
      Thanks for your patience.

      report
   5. 70

      Matthew Meyerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      We deployed a change and fix to avoid this occurring in the future.
      Thanks for the report.

      report
2. 61

   AMAZING THINKERposted 11 years ago

   Is that a thing?

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   1. 92

      Rochelle Frankposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes... but is is missing, so very hard to find.

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3. 92

   vocalcoachposted 11 years ago

   I've had my share of these very same kinds of comments.  I 'delete them forever.'  I rarely see them anymore but there was a time when I was deleting again and again.  I'm sorry to hear you're getting them. Hope it clears up and never comes back!

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4. 100

   Peggy Wposted 11 years ago

   Yes...we cannot spam them but we can delete forever.  Hopefully this will stop soon.

   report
   1. 85

      DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Found the spam button--it shows up only after you click on "deny."  Then, you can click either 'spam' or 'delete forever,' but apparently not both.
      
      The spammy comments are continuing--I deleted 15 of them when I first turned on my computer this morning, and 3 more just now. 

      report
5. 88

   Nell Roseposted 11 years ago

   I have had tons of these this week. The funny thing was that the second I put my comments to 'approve before showing' they all stopped! funny how they knew....spooky! lol!

   report
   1. 85

      DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's weird, because I do have my comments set to "approve before showing," and they are coming through anyway....
      And what's more, I have them set to "only signed-in users may post comments."  ... so how are all these "anonymous--guest user" comments even being shown to me...regardless of whether or not the public ever sees them???  Seems they should be getting blocked from posting in the first place..
      
      Just added this hours later:  came back and found SEVENTEEN MORE of these annoying spam "comments"  HOW are they getting through???  I think it's time to contact HP about the failure of their global settings utility!

      report
6. 92

   Thelma Albertsposted 11 years ago

   That´s the best thing to do. Delete!!!

   report
7. 85

   DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years ago

   Bumping the thread---
   
   I've contacted HP, and they agreed there is something fishy here, given that the comments are getting through despite my global settings that should disallow them from even posting, let alone have them show up.  They are forwarding the problem to engineering.
   
   Meanwhile, I must ask, does all this negative attention cause "bad vibes" with "The Big G" ???

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   1. 61

      The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Did you click 'delete forever' and they are still coming through?

      report
      1. 85

         DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I did...and the team said to leave the rest up while they investigate...

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         1. 61

            The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Okay, just checking.

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            1. 85

               DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah--there were 30 more today, after I reported it...so I've left them all for the team to sort out....
               
               Which still leaves me wondering...does a sh**load of spam attention cause us harm with Google???  I don't know if any of these are visible to others, since they are already coming through contrary to my settings...

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               1. 61

                  The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Do not take my word, but I would think so since all of your regular comments are visible to others. If you want others to check just say which Hub (or Hubs) the comments are on and we will let you know.
                  If a second one of the same shows up, ignore it, I goofed.

                  report
                  1. 85

                     DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     This is just one of the many hubs that have had such "comments" placed...and this is a short comment..some of them are damned near whole articles themselves..  Grr..
                     
                     http:// dzymslizzy.hubpages.com /hub/Where-Does-the-Water-Taste-Better
                     
                     (Remove extra spaces when copying/pasting...I added them to keep it from being a link, which would probably get 'snipped.')

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                     1. 61

                        The Examiner-1posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        I only saw four comments from HP members.

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8. 81

   jimmythejockposted 11 years ago

   I have had a few hundred of these comments over the past few days and I just delete them, I dont worry about them though simply because it is giving my visitor count and my earnings a much needed boost.....jimmy

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9. 65

   Lastheartposted 11 years ago

   Same happened to me with two comments.

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10. 89

    mistyhorizon2003posted 11 years ago

    I deleted about 50 today alone, and loads over the last few days. Like Jimmy I didn't worry too much as I hoped they would count as extra traffic. I have my comments set to not show on the hubs until approved, and this is still working just fine (although obviously they look visible when I go to approve or disapprove them which makes me wonder if people who say the spam comments are showing up anyway might not be logging out before checking to see if they are visible).  What is odd is that most of them contain no links, and actually look like they were genuine comments from 'somewhere' that were just lifted and copied on to hub comment sections. Some comments do bear a slight connection to the hub in question, others none at all. Generally I don't see what the spammer has to gain from this as there is no income to be made from these 'comments'

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    1. 85

       DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Just goes to prove--spammers are not the brightest bulbs on the tree....

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