gmail accounts are temporarily being blocked at registration
 

I'm getting an inordinate amount of spammers flooding the site the last few days trying to register, and around 95 percent of them are using gmail accounts for their registration email. Apparently gmail has NO method of restricting registration to legitimate users, so I am forced to block ALL registrations using them as their email provider in order to try to slow down this onslaught of bogus registrations.

Yes, I know there will be some collateral damage concerning legitimate registrations, but I really have no choice. Wading through 50 to 60 registrations every day solely from these spammers is not something I really care to spend my time on every day. So this is one way I am trying to combat the problem. Deleting or banning those accounts has had no effect. Banning the IP addresses they use does not help neither, as they apparently simply use an almost inexhaustible supply of others at their disposal.

Sorry, but I have to do what I have to do. When the storm is over, I will re-enable gmail accounts, but for now, if that is your email provider of choice and you have not registered here yet, then I suggest you try another provider if you want to register here at this time.

what types of anti-spam stuff do you use upon registration? I can't remember way back when I registered what was there.

on one of my sites I used the CAPTCHA along with the user having to type in a response to a question. it was a simple question but that question had to be answered before their registration would be accepted. using the above 2 together was the only way to keep the bots out...

Unsure if VBullen has that type of option, I am using phpBB because I am cheap...

I have a series of about 10 question and answer challenges for registrations. The email address used must also be verified by clicking on a link in an email sent to them upon registration. I audit every new registration and block any that are either obviously bogus, or even just somewhat suspicious. If the IP address does not resolve to their stated location, they get the boot.

I used to use the CAPTCHA method (which is an option in vBulletin) but I heard that it got cracked and was no longer a reliable method.

Yesterday I changed ALL of the questions and answers in case the spam bots had identified and automated the responses to them.

I have ceased blocking IP addresses for blocked spammers. I was at around 350 blocked IP addresses, and I believe that many could cause more problems then it would solve.

Blocking gmail does seem to have quieted things down quite a bit. Hopefully I won't have to keep it blocked for too long. I know some legitimate people do use that email host.

Another auto enthusiast site is getting flooded with extremely lengthy posts written in Polish.

Yeah, that would be happening here if I weren't blocking the spammers at the gate. Quite a few of the IP addresses from the spammers originate from Poland.

I've lifted the block on gmail registrations since the spammer tide seems to have ebbed a bit.