If you're running a vBulletin 5 or vBulletin 6 forum and struggling with users creating multiple accounts using Gmail alias tricks, this plugin is for you. The Block Gmail Alias Tricks Mod detects and blocks registration attempts that use Gmail’s dot (.) and plus (+) email alias features, which are commonly exploited by spammers and abusers to bypass account limits or forum rules. With customizable options and moderation flexibility, this mod helps you maintain the integrity of your user base and reduce spam registrations.
Key Features:
Why Use It?
Gmail aliases like [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] all deliver to the same inbox. This plugin ensures your forum blocks or moderates users that abuse these Gmail features to create duplicate accounts or spam.
The mod also saves blocked users to a CSV file with log rotation to allow forum admins to monitor and view the failed registration attempts using spreadsheet tools and do appropriate actions like blocking their IP addresses and/or their original and sanitized (without the dots and plus symbols) Gmail accounts.
Compatibility:
Note:
This mod does not block existing Gmail users before this mod was installed. To find those existing users, you can use this SQL query: (Do not forget to add table prefix to the user table and adjust the number of dots)
Once you have the list, you can do whatever you want to do with those users. For example, you could ban or moderate them in AdminCP.
Version History:
v1.2
Demo:
This mod is installed on this site.
Price:
$40 (Branding-free)
Key Features:
- Blocks Gmail addresses using excessive dots
- Blocks Gmail addresses containing the plus (+) symbol
- Admin options to:
- Set a dot threshold (e.g., block if 2+ dots)
- Enable or disable plus filtering
- Choose to block or moderate flagged users
- Log blocked users in a CSV file with log rotation based on file size (New in v1.1)
- Email blocked users (New in v1.2)
Why Use It?
Gmail aliases like [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] all deliver to the same inbox. This plugin ensures your forum blocks or moderates users that abuse these Gmail features to create duplicate accounts or spam.
The mod also saves blocked users to a CSV file with log rotation to allow forum admins to monitor and view the failed registration attempts using spreadsheet tools and do appropriate actions like blocking their IP addresses and/or their original and sanitized (without the dots and plus symbols) Gmail accounts.
Compatibility:
- Compatible with vB5 and vB6 (Self-hosted only)
- Not compatible with vBCloud.
Note:
This mod does not block existing Gmail users before this mod was installed. To find those existing users, you can use this SQL query: (Do not forget to add table prefix to the user table and adjust the number of dots)
Code:
SELECT
userid,
username,
email,
ipaddress,
FROM_UNIXTIME(joindate, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%i') AS joindate,
FROM_UNIXTIME(lastvisit, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%i') AS lastvisit,
FROM_UNIXTIME(lastactivity, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%i') AS lastactivity,
CASE
WHEN lastpost IS NULL OR lastpost = 0
THEN ''
ELSE FROM_UNIXTIME(lastpost, '%Y-%m-%d %H:%i')
END AS lastpost
FROM user
WHERE email LIKE '%@gmail.com'
AND (
-- plus alias
email REGEXP '^[^@]+\\+[^@]+@gmail\\.com$'
OR
-- at least 2 dots in local part (change {2,} to {3,} etc. if needed)
email REGEXP '^[^@]*([.][^@]*){2,}@gmail\\.com$'
)
ORDER BY lastvisit DESC;
Version History:
v1.2
- Added options to email blocked users with the specified email address or the existing Webmaster email address.
- Improved log rotation logic.
- Added options to log blocked users to a CSV file and to create log rotation based on file size.
- Initial version.
Demo:
This mod is installed on this site.
Price:
$40 (Branding-free)
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