Topic: Scammers

[BomberMann650]

If we had to vote on wether the open forums is accessible to public or members only.
Experience compels me to vote it remain members only access. 

Ichi4's situation deserves some attention too. 

As members of a motorcycling community we tend to share information that can enable cyber criminals to identify us, and use that to further stalk us in the real world.  Creating issues as banal as bullying, financial compromise (fraud and/or extortion) to an extreme end of risking physical harm - vehicle tampering is a felony a lot of people are willing to commit, sadly.

[Glenn Stauffer]

I am working with Ichiban 4 to understand what information may have leaked from the site.  I don't want to speculate about the situation until I know more.

Quite a bit of effort goes into keeping the presence of spammers to a minimum and into ensuring that the server and the forum software are patched with all available security updates.

Regarding turning off guest access to the open forum.  I made some changes over the past few weeks to try to limit the information that is exposed to the public.  That change isn't necessarily permanent.

[Ichiban 4]

I am working with Ichiban 4 to understand what information may have leaked from the site.  I don't want to speculate about the situation until I know more.

Quite a bit of effort goes into keeping the presence of spammers to a minimum and into ensuring that the server and the forum software are patched with all available security updates.

Regarding turning off guest access to the open forum.  I made some changes over the past few weeks to try to limit the information that is exposed to the public.  That change isn't necessarily permanent.

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Glenn & I are exchanging PM's on this right now..hopefully get to the bottom of what's happening. One question I had to Glenn..about access to the Open Forum may have been answered above.  I'm willing to change my Password..if that will help to eliminate some of the problems..in my case. But am more concerned about the privacy and integrity for all of our members.
Al/Ichi

[scottly]

Al, what do you mean by your password, and how would that have been used in a voice mail? Your password is not visible on the site.
Glenn, regarding guys being cheated by members with zero posts here, how are they allowed to send PMs? I've gotten quite a few such PMs in the last year or so, and can sometimes reply, and other times I get a "mailbox full" message. It used to be that 5 posts were required before a new member could PM or post external links; those restrictions seem to have disappeared. I would suggest that the 5 post restriction be re-instituted, and that the classified section be hidden until full membership is approved. This should help with cheats here, but unfortunately won't help with scam robo-calls on our phones.

[Ichiban 4]

Al, what do you mean by your password, and how would that have been used in a voice mail? Your password is not visible on the site.
Glenn, regarding guys being cheated by members with zero posts here, how are they allowed to send PMs? I've gotten quite a few such PMs in the last year or so, and can sometimes reply, and other times I get a "mailbox full" message. It used to be that 5 posts were required before a new member could PM or post external links; those restrictions seem to have disappeared. I would suggest that the 5 post restriction be re-instituted, and that the classified section be hidden until full membership is approved. This should help with cheats here, but unfortunately won't help with scam robo-calls on our phones.

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Scott..
Glenn and I have been PMing on this..but yes..somehow I got a recorded call on my phone..and it addressed me by my SOHC4 Password.  I didn't respond to that (as I don't to any spam stuff that comes to me 'anonymously')..but close as I can figure it someone (or some group) hacked my Password off of the SOHC4 website..and because my email address is on the site also..they were able to associate that with my phone number (which is not listed on the site BTW)..but my phone # is listed with my return email address in other places.

Oh..just thought of something here: I have listed my phone # in PM's I've sent to other members here.  So if the hacker was able to hack my PM's (or other members PM's)..then they could have gotten my phone # from that??

I think that Glenn is working on this..to tighten-up the security.  But basically think that non-members..and w/o at least 5 posts..should not have ANY access to members data..

Al/Ichi

[BomberMann650]

The whole password theft thing could have been a run on the site server.  Or a local swipe of ichi's computer.

I'm no i.t. host software guru - just spitballing