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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:14 pm

Sorry if this has been mentioned already, but has anyone noticed Google's new tactic against fighting spam?
I tried signing up for a new baiting account today, but what they now do is send a verification number to your phone.
Do you think this will make lads think twice about signing up? Will it make any of you baiters think twice about signing up?

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

Surely that isn't the case? I made an account just 3 days ago without such a need. Maybe country specific to you?

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:32 pm

^^
Maybe it came in just after you visited. I can still sign in to old accounts on Google though.

From Wiki/Google:

Quote:

If you'd like to sign up for a Gmail address, you need to have a mobile phone that has text-messaging capabilities.

If you don't have a phone, you may want to ask a friend if you can use his or her number to receive a code.

One of the reasons we're offering this new way to sign up for Gmail is to help protect our users and combat abuse. Spam and abuse protection are two things we take very seriously, and our users have been very happy with the small amount of spam they've received in Gmail. We take many measures to ensure that spammers have a difficult time sending their spam messages, getting these messages delivered, or even obtaining a Gmail address (spammers will often use many different addresses to send spam). Sending invitation codes to mobile phones is one way to address this, as the number of addresses created per phone number can be limited.

Saying that, Wiki does state "In other countries this is not required for sign-up, according to Google due to service limitations."

Is anybody else affected by this new implementation?

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:44 pm

This is black news, indeed. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable with it. I just hope that one of the "other countries [for which] this is not required for sign-up" includes the US. You're not perhaps in the States, are you?

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:45 pm

^^
No, I'm UK.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:47 pm

^^ Thank goodness. Sorry, Craig. Sad

EDIT: By the way, can we get a link to that?

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 3:48 pm

I just hope it doesn't catch on.
Do you think it'll help deter criminals?

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:01 pm

^^ It'll deter baiters more than it'll deter criminals. In West Africa, prepaid phone cards are disposable and unregistered.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:08 pm

Other baiters have reported that, but I've opened two accounts since it began, without having to do it.
Did you give another gmail address as the alternative address? I did, and I wonder if that only happens if you give a non-gmail alternative?

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:11 pm

^^
I gave no alternative address.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:14 pm

^^ That may be the root of the problem then. That is, you provided no method of verification.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:21 pm

^^
Correct! Thanks. I wish Google'd tell me that.
Thank God there's a way to avoid it - for now.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:36 pm

I'm glad to hear that. You had me shitting bricks there thinking that I'd never be able to open another baiting account with GMail.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 4:46 pm

^^
Lol, sorry. They'd better not develop the idea, though. What's the point in sending a code when you can just supply an alternative address?

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

I have just started a new googlemail account without giving another email addy,
It didn't ask for mobile phone number.

It does ask for moby no. if you want to access it on your mobile phone but thats in the welcome mails after the account is started.

Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:35 pm

Weirdly, I just created yet another Google address, this time not supplying an alternative address - and I got straight through.

Master Baiter Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 114

I'll have a pint of what you've had.

Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:02 am

I've just tried three times, once each US, Cuba and Australia. Each time I gave another Gmail address as my alternative and each time it asked for a mobile number.

Then I read this thread and tried again (as US) but giving a non-Gmail alternative address and I wasn't asked for a mobile number.

Then I tried twice more, once with no alternative address and once with another I had not used before and both time it asked for a mobile number.

Go figure!

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. The best advice is, keep trying, and maybe use different alternative emails. It will usually allow you through after one or two tries, and if it doesn't some kind soul on her will create the account for you.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 582

With me it seems to be totally random. I have never given an alternate email address. 2 days ago I was able to create a new gmail account, yesterday it asked for the text verification. Last week I tried every day, again, sometimes it asked, others it went right through. If it asks for the text verification, I leave and go back later to try again.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:20 am

They asked me to update my data.

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:22 am

hmm i just opened another account without the problems mentioned. If this still persists i could open accounts for other baiters if this would help you.

BOFH

Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:35 am

That could be handy thanks. I'm right at the moment myself.

I am wondering if a site like http://www.torproject.org/ could be useful? Haven't done more than find it at the moment, so it may not be a fit for our work, but a brief glance says it may be useful. Anyone else checked it out?

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:09 pm

^^i tried it with foxproxy and gawab.com but it didn't work out because gawab uses java for the interface. Haven't tried with another provider, because i use gmail for baiting and all others for catcher accounts for now.

But it might be a good idea to do further tests.

BOFH