How to stop these damn spam submissions

I am running the free version of php link directory version 2.1.2. Lately I have been overrun with these info domain spam submissions that put dozens of URL's in the description area and they are all xxxusa.info or some info domains. They all begin with Thanks, or nice site or something like that.
Is there a way to stop these fuggin bastages from spamming my directory with these submissions? I have the site www.premiumdirectory.org set up for nothing but paid links even did away with the free recip and I use captcha as well but they are still getting through.

 

Maybe change the field names to something unusual. That would give thier scripts a hard time auto filling the forms.

 

Best place to post would be the PHPLD forum board. The admin "David" there has a couple solutions to spam (but I'm not sure if he will have anything for 2.1.2... I think it's up to v3.3 now lol! Maybe just an update would stop the spam?

 

Thanks I'll try there.

 

Do like this:

Make a copy of /submit.php and name it /submit2.php
Make a copy of /templates/submit.tpl and name it /templates/submit2.tpl

(In the changes replace domain.com with your domain.)

Open /submit.php

At the very top, replace

HTML Code:

<?php

With the following:

HTML Code:

<?php
$Referer = getenv("HTTP_REFERER");
if ($Referer == "http://www.domain.com/submit.php") {
echo "<script>alert('Spam protection!');window.location='http://www.domain.com';</script>";
exit();
}
if ($Referer == "") {
echo "<script>alert('Spam protection!');window.location='http://www.domain.com';</script>";
exit();
}

Open /submit2.php

At the very top, replace

HTML Code:

<?php

With the following:

HTML Code:

<?php
$Referer = getenv("HTTP_REFERER");
if ($Referer != "http://www.domain.com/submit.php") {
echo "<script>alert('Spam protection!');window.location='http://www.domain.com';</script>";
exit();
}

Replace:

HTML Code:

echo $tpl->fetch('submit.tpl', $id);

With:

HTML Code:

echo $tpl->fetch('submit2.tpl', $id);

Open /captcha.php

At the very top, replace

HTML Code:

<?php

With the following:

HTML Code:

<?php
$Referer = getenv("HTTP_REFERER");
if ($Referer == "http://www.domain.com/captcha.php") {
echo "<script>alert('Spam protection!');window.location='http://www.domain.com';</script>";
exit();
}
if ($Referer == "") {
echo "<script>alert('Spam protection!');window.location='http://www.domain.com';</script>";
exit();
}


Open /templates/submit.tpl

Find:

HTML Code:

<form method="post" action="">

Replace with:

HTML Code:

<form method="post" action="submit2.php">

Open /templates/submit2.tpl

Find:

HTML Code:

<form method="post" action="">

Replace with:

HTML Code:

<form method="post" action="submit.php">

 

@samehzone,
it's one of the proper methods that change the submit.php page to a custom one.

 

This is a good way of discouraging automatic, spam submissions as is the earlier field name changing suggestion.

 

create a new email. exclusively for spam.

 

That's a bug which is attacked by spammers for the free version of phpld, which can bypass the captcha submit directly to your database. And upgrade to phpld v3.0 above will solve the problem.

 

what l have done in my directory is to charge $2 for normal links but still have free rep links
this of course has decrease the amount of links l get per day but a least they are quailty
and it seems to have stop the spammers

 

I also changed all the links to paid but that does nothing.. I will have to try another method this is getting ridiculous.

 

samehzone thanks for the reply and I am sure those methods will work but I am not good at programming..

 

Well I figured out how to change everything that samehzone recommended. I went in and did a test submission and I got a pop up box that said spam protection. Does that sound right? Link didnt go through.

 

i dont think this will stop spam at all, i think the coding just stops submit.php page to be directly opened. A bot can click on that link by visiting home page too. Just rethink about it.

 

Well apparently thats true because I just got two more... geez

 

I've just had my directory redesigned and had the submit page link to the Submission Rules page and from that to the page you actually submit from. I did this to make sure people had to actually visit that page rather than just tick the box to say they had. Since the new design I haven't had a single spam submission whereas before I was getting multiple spams each day.

Go here http://www.blogdirectory.org.uk/ and click 'submit blog' to see what I'm rambling on about

 

Nice looking blog directory, I would add my poor blog but I havn't updated it in a while.

 

I was going to submit my blog to your directory but I couldn't get past the captcha.. tried 4 times...

 

Excellent work!

Another way is to not allowing submission from submit.php page directly means. A user should go into deepest possible category and then click on submit.php, i have seen this in many directories and it works

 

Another spam-free day so I've taken the captcha off for now