In doing routine server audits, I often notice that some posts on various websites are getting spammed. This usually means that a control on the post (when it was originally created) has the "Allow Comments" and/or "Allow Pings" left turned on. At that point I check a...
Spam Filtering
Anatomy of a Phone Text Phishing Attempt
Phishing - attempts to trick people into giving up sensitive information - has been on the rise for many. many years now. Even seasoned internet individuals can fall prey to the bad actors perpetrating this criminal activity. The Phish Here is an example of a text I...
How to find your IP Address on Desktops, Laptops, Smartphones, Tablets
There are many times when we might need to know what IP address we are using. We at CharlesWorks use this information mostly for some Under Construction plugins. For example, to allow one to view a website that is using an Under Construction plugin without having to...
Dealing with Website Form and Comment Spamming
The spamming of web forms has grown tremendously over the past several years. Spamming forms is inevitable with any forms on websites. This has little or nothing to do with where your website is hosted. The problem The main problem is that even though it is, and has...
How to Turn Off Post or Page Comments
Keeping your site cleared of spam comments will also allow it to operate more efficiently. Getting spam comments has nothing to do with your web hosting. It has to do with setting up what is necessary to mitigate the spammers. This will help immensely with keeping...
Dealing with “Reply To:” issues in WordPress form outputs
Spam Prevention nightmares Spam prevention has been a nightmare for all involved since even before I began CharlesWorks in 1998. Spammers: they are always trying to find ways around the spam protection. Email users: It is a constant battle trying to sort spam from...
How to Show Site Visitor’s IP Address on WP Forms Output
The WP Forms plugin for WordPress is fairly popular and one of the plugins I like using for handle form inputs on websites. I especially like being able to tie in Google RECAPTCHA into it which greatly reduces form spam. Form spamming has become big business. Apps...
Web Maintenance Explained
I cannot begin to tell you how many people believe that once their website is done they are "all set". Many think they don't have to do anything more to it once it is out there live. While that may seem true in that moment, there is still much that needs to happen and...
SEO Scammers
Almost all businesses get the usual spam SEO (Search Engine Optimization) phone calls and emails. Recently, one of our web clients took a spammer's SEO phone call. As a result of such calls, she emailed us. Her concerns prompted this article. She expressed a lot of...
Common Bitcoin Phishing Message from online Scammers
The lost revenue to individuals and companies responding to and falling prey to these phishing messages is enormous. We in the web field lose considerable amounts of time that we could be working on websites answering queries about such matters. It is obviously part...