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Forum scams?

Discussion in 'vBulletin' started by audible, Jun 27, 2006.

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  1. #1
    I've been in the market to purchase a forum but there are some questions that keep lingering in the back of my mind.

    1. I often see a lot of sellers say they have xxx,xxx posts and xx,xxx members in their forum, can a large number of these posts and members be made up? Could they just hire someone or use a script to populate their forum? If so, how can you tell if this has happened?

    2. Sometimes I see a forum seller say that the liscense does not come with the vBulletin forum. Does that mean that if I were to buy this forum I'd have to buy a liscense? Is there a possibility that this forum was built without a liscense somehow and deemed stolen? If so, how would I be able to tell if I'm about to purchase an illegal forum?

    I apologize for the flurry of questions but I figure I should know all this before purchasing a forum. Thanks!
     
    audible, Jun 27, 2006 IP
  2. sam2698

    sam2698 Well-Known Member

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    #2
    They might do that, or they must have some sort of mod that adds extra number of posts and thread. Or they can buy posters to post and temporarily populate. But in any case you should throughly go through and check out the forum and try to know exactly why is the seller selling.
     
    sam2698, Jun 27, 2006 IP
  3. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #3
    Didn't I see you signing up with one of those forum posters earlier? so you know it can and does happen. there are also bots to convert news feeds into forum threads. To see if those posts are legit you need to do your own due diligence and sample the forum.
    The seller may plan to continue running a forum at a different domain. You need to ensure they don't retain the data I guess.
    Yes, but you'd need to check with the forum software vendor as to the legitimacy of the license and the consequences of buying it and a legit licence. I imagine they'll be happy to take your money and wipe the slate clean.
     
    sarahk, Jun 27, 2006 IP
  4. dcristo

    dcristo Illustrious Member

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    #4
    I find the most accurate way to tell is to checkout the top posters, how many of the members are making a considerable amount of posts and the quality of them. It's pretty pointless having a forum with a 500 memberbase if there are only 5 regular posters. In vBulletin it also tells you the number of Active Members which is a good measure aswell.
     
    dcristo, Jun 27, 2006 IP