Beware of WordPress spammers and AI bots

WordPress and Akismet do a great job of capturing the most egregious spam comments, but some do manage to slip through.

The latest is AI bots crawling the web and making spam comments. I fell prey to this scheme. The comments sounded innocuous enough but they kept coming! An AI chatbot is a computer program that simulates human communication. Chatbots are frequently used in a wide variety of online situations.

Some quick ways to identify spam comments:

odd or missing syntax
similar comments from supposedly different emails
multiple comments on a blog post from the same or similar emails
the same comment on multiple blog posts
the same comment on multiple blogs
comments that have nothing to do with your blog post
listing of websites in a comment
links to blogs that have nothing to do with your blog
email addresses that are obviously fake.

Some examples of these comments are listed below. Please note that I took out the websites mentioned in the comments because I didn’t want to give them any more press.

From DogDad87:

“nice! good read. stay awesome and keep blogging. Look at my website, ******.”

Sounds okay, except for the all lower case syntax. The only problem is that I have received this same comment on every single blog post since April. And sometimes this comment comes from TheDogGod. Both these refer back to the same website.

Another egregious example from passiveincomepro23:

“Hey there! We regretfully apologize for the comment on your website. We’re committed to improving and learning. Join our exclusive platform, our vibrant community empowering individuals like you to unlock the secrets of passive income. Discover premium content, game-changing resources, and connect with like-minded individuals on your journey to financial freedom. Join us on this transformative journey together and make a positive impact! Please note that **** is open to USA residents only.”

This same comment is repeated multiple times on each blog post. Once again, the comment has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of my blog post.

And my favorite from legendsfeedback1233:

“Hi there! I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know how much I adore your blog. It’s an amazing treasure trove for anyone who is interested about cooking. I particularly enjoy your DIY recipes and fast food suggestions, but your crispy treats ideas are also making my mouth water. I applaud your commitment to supporting people in their weight loss journey with insightful tips and tricks. Keep up the excellent work, and I can’t wait to explore more of your fabulous posts! Check out my website, ******.”

Talk about an AI bot fail. I write about Quebec, Vermont, kayaking and chipmunks. I have never, ever written about cooking. 🙂

If you are in doubt about whether or not a comment is spam, you can always do a quick Internet search on the poster’s name/email address and website.

I carefully researched the suspected comments and found that the posters have already been reported as spammers.

I would also be happy to send you a detailed list of the spammers I have identified. Feel free to leave a comment below asking for this information and I will send it to you.

What is your experience with spammers? Have you had comments similar to what I’ve seen?

UPDATE AS OF 11:05 AM ON 7/12. What do you know, passiveincomepro23 just left 3 spam comments. I wish WordPress could shut these guys down.

UPDATE AS OF 5:06 PM ON 7/12. DogDad87 just left a spam comment! I am just waiting for legendsfeedback1233 to return. 🙂