44 Replies to “Spam Comment Likes”

  1. Noticed it on several of my blogs this last week again, but I turned off comment likes during the last invasion. Now the spammers are commenting on comments and adding “what?” – Akismet seems to catch them and direct them into the spam folder, though I also use keywords to direct them straight into the Trash. Most of the time they don’t even have blogs, probably just spambots.

    Good to let people know how they can deal with this.

    1. I can’t begin to think of what the spammers think they will gain by this… though, to be honest, my feelings are much the same about almost all the online adverts I see.

      1. Often it is simply to target a search engine like Google, so the more ‘comments’ left the more likely their site is to appear at the top of a search. Or to bring down a server (DOS – Denial of Service). Who knows! Most of the URLs don’t even relate to any website.

        1. It must be a real tangle for Google and WordPress to deal with. Even if a human moderates every comment, the line between spam and enthusiasm is not going to be 100% clear.

    1. Here’s hoping you’ll never need it!

      If it does start to be an issue at least you’ll be able to recognise what’s happening quickly, then you can always search for it. That’s one reason I wanted to write a post about it.

  3. Yes, I have noticed an uptick in Spam, exactly as Hey Jude mentioned. Fortunately, they have gone directly to my Spam box and were easily deleted. WordPress has a pretty good system and catches most of them. Also noticed some Spam likes.

  4. I noticed those this morning, coming back to me. You needn’t apologize — those creeps are everywhere. I have read your directions about getting rid of these likes, but it’s too confusing. I’ll have to study it for a year or two. Meanwhile, a pox on these wretches! (And no way would I be clicking on them!)

    1. I’m glad you would not click. It can be tempting, especially when you first see one. It’s a pity I can’t pop next door and do it for you – it really is easier than it looks, especially if your screen happens to look like mine. Let’s hope the creeps are swiftly despatched.

  5. Thanks for this information. As a new blogger I was wondering why some users had random numerical names. I’ll probably have to refer back to this post at some point for help. Thank you.

    1. Thanks for your comment. I would normally say ‘My pleasure!’, but in this case, I wish nobody had to cast a second’s thought on this kind of thing. Let’s hope it passes by quickly.

  7. Information very useful and I’ve filed it away for future use if needs be. Thank you for taking the time to let us in on this new spam problem.

  8. Thanks for the information! I experienced the same problem in the last few days. I searched on google but haven’t found any solution yet. Turning off “like comment” is not an optimal measurement but I guess it’s the only option we have for now.

  9. Thank you very much for the information. I haven’t noticed a problem myself, but it’s good to know how to deal with it.

  10. Thank you so much for this. I had the same yesterday, and have followed the same steps as you.

    1. I have seen an increase in ‘fake’ followers too but if I notice them, I remove them as a follower. I can’t remember if any had numbers or not (I’m not sure there was) but there have been several whose blogs are just made up of the same posts, recycled over and over, which makes them easy to spot.

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