emails from fake followers

  • singcerelyours · Member ·

    I am getting all of these bogus “followers” but, when I go to my blog, it does not show them as being followers are they “hiding” somewhere in my system?

  • subs123 · Member ·

    I have received following message by email from support at WordPress:

    Sorry for any worry or confusion caused by these followers. This issue where users are getting spam follows from accounts using fake outlook email addresses is still on going.

    As with all public avaible forms on websites, they are subject to bots and spam users to abusing them and because these outlook emails have no real pattern and are not coming from a common source, addressing this without affecting actual users with outlook.com emails is difficult.

    We are still currently working on a way to filter these followers automatically but in the meantime to help with this process, can you please provide us the email addresses you see are following your blog?

    Beyond this, there is no need to worry about the impact of these followers and they only serve to throw off your actual follower numbers and cause emails to be generated by our system when your blog updates. They will not be a way to comprimise on your site.

    I am not sure if there is any point in posting to this forum, as there is no evidence that WordPress pays attention to it. As suggested in their message, it may be best to send fake follower details by email to: WordPress.com Support <help(at)wordpress.com>

  • supermommyoftwins · Member ·

    thanks, https://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/spammy-follows-from-outlookcom-email-addresses/page/2/#post-3107546 also emphasizes the problem, but I don’t see any resolution yet. I’ll try emailing them. May be exhaustive though!

  • nmp43 · Member ·

    Since March 2018, I have received 39 bogus followers. I know how to remove followers. Admin says there is no harm to my site…that it is just an inconvenience. Yes, an annoying inconvenience, ongoing and without let-up. There may not be harm to my site, but there may be harm to my information. At this time, all social media sites are scrambling to beef up security. Privacy of personal information is the issue. My blogs are no longer connected to any social media. The site receiving the outlook followers is: dancingforward.wordpress.com. Every time there is an iOS update for Mac there is a new spate of this tomfoolery. I’d like to see WP sending out informational assurances to its users as many other media programs are doing. WordPress is the best in the blogosphere. Easy to see why it’s getting hit with bots, trolls and demons. But I believe in you. Please fix it.

  • sybilismyhomegirl · Member ·

    I am still getting a bunch, it’s been months now (lovebythemoon.com).. is there a fix for this?

  • theprayinglife · Member ·

    I am getting these spam followers as well. Very annoying.
    My blog is The Praying Life

  • geleraronak · Member ·

    Even I am getting followers whose email addresses are suspicious. Is there a feature that enables us to let us choose that who follows can follow us and who cannot?

  • lcwaller · Member ·

    I too am getting lots of emails alerting me to new followers who never show up on the blog as actual followers.

    I was getting concerned my site want secure and wondered whether I should delete it, but from reading this thread that seems pointless. It would be good to know if WordPress can actuallly do much about this?

    I’ve binned the addresses unfortunately so cannot add them here, but there have been about 30 odd emails over the last few months I’d say.

  • jakrad · Member ·

    I have this problem too on https://jakstrips.com/ so will be grateful if you can sort it for me.

  • girlscientified · Member ·

    Hi, I’m so glad I found this topic!

    I’ve getting the weird at.Outlook emails as well. Here is the list:

    Hi, I too have been getting these emails, here’s my list:

    pinopssandizt
    sigalammtishame
    pickelulaurindabp
    ravenjlahomar
    fassettzhlucies
    woodrowtldaniaxw
    risnerrglynisr
    threadgilliletishau
    laddiavrilw
    nolesnbarbrar
    waiteljanethce
    eadeszdrusillacr
    culpglucilaxz
    kanteravshantako
    robitaillewfpalmirav
    lawlessjbdeberacd
    dicksonxqjaniee
    thornhyclairwz
    mciverxelianar
    buffingtonqflorineri
    royerbgearliep
    holtentaneshamr
    percymzeldaa
    motonpdarceld
    traskvscottd
    scaliseolouisfh
    godseyojtulaw
    damatoltheodoral
    tanguayjmjeannenv

    Thank you for the help!

  • girlscientified · Member ·

    EDIT:

    Sorry for my double message!

  • ceejaykayfit · Member ·

    I was just going to post a support note about this. Pleased to see that its not just me ceejaykayfit.com getting these notifications… If it was, my blog would be super trending!
    So what should we/you do?

  • carlascorner · Member ·

    I have recently had this happen as well, again all from outlook.com email addresses. (My blog is carlascorner.wordpress.com.) A friend/fellow blogger recently had this happen then her content started being “scraped” and showing up on clickbait sites. It’s good to know that WordPress is following this issue. The number of fake followers has dropped off the last couple of weeks, although I just got another one two days ago from:
    (email visible only to moderators and staff)

  • dborys · Member ·

    This may not be related, but shortly after the fake Outlook follower emails started up, I started getting a lot of junk email from email addresses that each look similar to this: _ Y::rgtwrzccmg7jiq4???o::p2f8kkhy6xhmtcg8ivz7f???ur ::4q9ps4ntpdtqhnzhlek62tannrz???[F::0l0pfsdbz9vj5nkssid52r6???RE::bgm65fghrg6???E] ::p2f8kkhy6xhmtcg8ivz7f???

    Has anyone else had this happen? As I said, it may have nothing to do with the other problem but the timing makes me wonder if they are somehow connected.

    Deb Borys

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