About username RandomGoogleImages

I've reported the poster, as have others I believe.

They certainly don't give much to the conversation! Infact nothing! Gransnetters usually tell others to avoid such people, but I guess those answering see RGI as harmless.

I did not see much significaance in the first run of threads because I rarely notice the names of those who originate threads, but someone did draw my attention to this poster's name and that has now made me wary

However I do think these threads have leavened the very heavy dough that GN has become; all politics or dire family circumstances. We used to be a much lighter mix with more humourous and flippant theads.

Unfortunately the self-righteous killed these threads off. However light a thread they would condemn the OP for being flippant about something that was deeply troubling to many people especially those living in the direst poverty who could not even afford to share a joke.

Unfortunately the self-righteous killed these threads off. However light a thread they would condemn the OP for being flippant about something that was deeply troubling to many people especially those living in the direst poverty who could not even afford to share a joke

How patronising ! Not that I see the connection
(I'm with MartavTaurus on this one. 🤔🤔)

Not remotely patronising. It is what happened.

WHO is this Self-Righteous Thread Killer that condemns OPs and cant afford a joke ???

Well I am one of the self righteous.

I am astonished at the naivety of some many posters.

The poster is new, prolific, doesn’t engage even when challenged and is asking some very clever questions to gain information.

Even after putting out warnings people continue.

Head office much to my surprise clearly not concerned.

There are many red flags.

Finally I think it’s very unfair to refer to us as self righteous when we are just trying to protect the GN community.

leavened the very heavy dough

I will use that phrase today.

The poster was highly suspicious imo.

Its not self righteous to act to protect each other, but the other reason is simply attention seeking of course and how they would be loving it.

I do not like the feeling someone is "playing us"
Possible AI

Becuase they have not returned to answer as in "I'm for real, GN's", give details of self etc.

Yes, they could just be someone who likes a list or likes counting how many replies they get to a thread starter; we have been here before on that, but it could be more sinister.

The particular questions being asked could be phishing, used to build a profile of someone: favoured names, information about where someone lives, meaningful years - all things that might be chosen for a password. One of the questions was what’s going on outside. Instead of replying, it’s raining or the grass is growing, some people have given very specific answers that could identify where they live. The one about race/ethnicity could be trying to get users to reveal that they have a name that isn’t obviously English.

We have had similar question from other username, for example, a few week ago: How old are you? People rushed to answer: 85, 79, 92 etc while on other regular threads they will announce it’s their birthday so they can have a lot of people wishing them Happy Birthday. Nice as that may be, you have now given away your exact date of birth - something that is used as a log in/security questioning banking. Meantime, someone else will come with a complaint about banking revealing who they bank with, following which a whole other bunch of people will disclose who they bank with.

If you are one of the people replying to all of these threads there’s good chance a profiler now knows both your exact date of birth and who you bank with, clues to your password and even where you live.

The security on this site is so lax that it is awash with bots some of which could be data scraping. We don’t know whether the site has ever been hacked and user emails stolen. Its was down for several hours on Saturday. What was that all about?

It stands to reason that a site aimed at older people will be target for scammers to gather information. Does nobody watch Scam Interceptors? Scammers aren’t necessarily calling at random hoping for an old, gullible person. They may be gathering information elsewhere to target specific people.

I have written about this before. Warnings fall on deaf ears or I’ve been challenged for being over cautious and even scaremongering. That’s just shooting the messenger.

Just be very, very careful about what you unwittingly reveal about yourself (and others) in what may sound like an innocent question. Also check regularly to see what information is held about you is on the dark web. You can do that through credit score agencies. I became aware of that after my address was used in a particular kind of scam. I wasn't the victim and didn’t lose any money but it was a nuisance for the two years it went on. Why me? Why not any of my neighbours with the same address bar a door number ? I now know exactly why and it's not a million miles from what is being asked on here. The source of the data? A now defunct discussion forum where the registration data was hacked and put on the dark web.

Graphite

Yes, they could just be someone who likes a list or likes counting how many replies they get to a thread starter; we have been here before on that, but it could be more sinister.

The particular questions being asked could be phishing, used to build a profile of someone: favoured names, information about where someone lives, meaningful years - all things that might be chosen for a password. One of the questions was what’s going on outside. Instead of replying, it’s raining or the grass is growing, some people have given very specific answers that could identify where they live. The one about race/ethnicity could be trying to get users to reveal that they have a name that isn’t obviously English.

We have had similar question from other username, for example, a few week ago: How old are you? People rushed to answer: 85, 79, 92 etc while on other regular threads they will announce it’s their birthday so they can have a lot of people wishing them Happy Birthday. Nice as that may be, you have now given away your exact date of birth - something that is used as a log in/security questioning banking. Meantime, someone else will come with a complaint about banking revealing who they bank with, following which a whole other bunch of people will disclose who they bank with.

If you are one of the people replying to all of these threads there’s good chance a profiler now knows both your exact date of birth and who you bank with, clues to your password and even where you live.

The security on this site is so lax that it is awash with bots some of which could be data scraping. We don’t know whether the site has ever been hacked and user emails stolen. Its was down for several hours on Saturday. What was that all about?

It stands to reason that a site aimed at older people will be target for scammers to gather information. Does nobody watch Scam Interceptors? Scammers aren’t necessarily calling at random hoping for an old, gullible person. They may be gathering information elsewhere to target specific people.

I have written about this before. Warnings fall on deaf ears or I’ve been challenged for being over cautious and even scaremongering. That’s just shooting the messenger.

Just be very, very careful about what you unwittingly reveal about yourself (and others) in what may sound like an innocent question. Also check regularly to see what information is held about you is on the dark web. You can do that through credit score agencies. I became aware of that after my address was used in a particular kind of scam. I wasn't the victim and didn’t lose any money but it was a nuisance for the two years it went on. Why me? Why not any of my neighbours with the same address bar a door number ? I now know exactly why and it's not a million miles from what is being asked on here. The source of the data? A now defunct discussion forum where the registration data was hacked and put on the dark web.

Thank you for this detailed plea, though I fear it may well fall on deaf ears, as consciousness raising here often meets with stiff resistance.
‘you can take a horse to water, you can shove it’s head in the trough, but if it doesn’t want to drink, it won’t’

You couldn’t have done more Graphite all commendable.

I've looked to see what is on the dark web, and there are a few data breaches regarding email address and password, but nothing to indicate that they are connected at all, or that the passwords were anything more than included in a tranche of data that has been leaked. Is there a way of finding that out, please?

Whilst I can understand that giving information about pets etc can be clues to identity, I can't see how having 'Fluffybunny's password and DOB is going to compromise her security, but maybe I'm naive. Without a full name and access to a bank account, a password won't help. Most banks use two step verification these days. That sort of thing is much riskier on FB, as people use their real names, and it would be easy to tell from personal posts and photos where they live and when they are on holiday etc.

I sometimes wonder whether anyone in real life has connected me to my GN identity. I think they could if they already suspected, as comments such as 'I went to the theatre last night' might tally with what they know and confirm it, but whilst I wouldn't like that (and would hope that if a friend or acquaintance did know they would have the decency to tell me) it wouldn't be a security risk, any more than knowing me as 'Mrs Dog who lives at number 34' is a risk. I don't think there is a way that anyone could do it in reverse - ie working out my name and address (never mind my bank details) from my posts. If I'm wrong about that, someone please let me know?

Sago

Well I am one of the self righteous.

I am astonished at the naivety of some many posters.

The poster is new, prolific, doesn’t engage even when challenged and is asking some very clever questions to gain information.

Even after putting out warnings people continue.

Head office much to my surprise clearly not concerned.

There are many red flags.

Finally I think it’s very unfair to refer to us as self righteous when we are just trying to protect the GN community.

Sago a great post as usual

I challenged the RGI poster with no response.

Posters here have often been naive, unworldly, gushing,
describing the minutiae of their daily lives, the dog obsession,
gardens, neighbours, all cleverly exploited by an information gatherer - have they missed out ailments, which fill pages, the need to share, unload, dissipate.

You have done your best here, some of us have tried, sounded an alert, but in the rush to provide the most banal details presented as fascinating facts, the warnings remain unread and unheeded.

Being described as self righteous though is beyond ironic and into surreal.

SORES How true.
I can’t count how many times members refuse to see that a post is generated by AI.
Then we have those who call out a post as being as AI when it’s full of clues that should tell you it’s not.
Many years ago when the Chinese clothing companies came to the market ( and I do know it has changed out of all recognition) a group of us spent about 2 years collating all the information we could to inform people how bad it was.
Did they listen. 🤦🏼‍♀️
Yet we still have members asking if a certain site is safe to buy from when a very short search will give you the answer.
GN once suspended me for a week because I called out a BOTT for what it was. Some members reported me for being personal and unkind 😂 You couldn’t make it up, could you.

Sores and Petra Absolutely!

It’s interesting how many people and particularly mature women are conned by romance fraudsters, I read about one recently who was conned, lost her home, pension and savings to a Ghanian scammer, she was then contacted b a “doctor” in Ghanaian who said he would get her money back.
They fell in love, she went to Ghana to meet him and was tragically killed in a car accident, he was driving but not badly injured

Her family had begged her not to go.

Sometimes you just can’t deal with stupid.

Macaydia

What is this poster? Are daily surveys they are sending to GN something to do with the sale and new purchase of MumsNet/GN, new owners gathering and selling information to a third party?

The username is not a "person" or a gran or grampa as far as I can tell. Anyone else know what this is about?

I only just saw this thread but did have the same thought, Macaydia.

Gone phishing 🎵🎶🎵🎶

Ps there are similar questions being posed on Reddit, Facebook etc.

petra

SORES How true.
I can’t count how many times members refuse to see that a post is generated by AI.
Then we have those who call out a post as being as AI when it’s full of clues that should tell you it’s not.
Many years ago when the Chinese clothing companies came to the market ( and I do know it has changed out of all recognition) a group of us spent about 2 years collating all the information we could to inform people how bad it was.
Did they listen. 🤦🏼‍♀️
Yet we still have members asking if a certain site is safe to buy from when a very short search will give you the answer.
GN once suspended me for a week because I called out a BOTT for what it was. Some members reported me for being personal and unkind 😂 You couldn’t make it up, could you.

no indeed you couldn’t, I despair sometimes I really do - this very morning I have been told I am not as intelligent as an octopus so I should not be offering any reasoned argument

It must have been disheartening for you to have made such an effort then suspended for essentially sounding a warning.
Then we have the mindless ‘is this a scam’ posts, when a blind man on a galloping horse couldn’t miss it. massive eyeroll.

We do what we can to raise awareness and literary standards, why, why I ask myself.

One of my (waspish but very funny) mum’s conclusions oft repeated was “leave him/her/them to stew in their own juice” which I have been inclined to do, but the need to beat the baddies on behalf of the weaker links overcomes logical withdrawal.

Allira

Ps there are similar questions being posed on Reddit, Facebook etc.

Allira, you are our SM spy out there, be careful!

Sago

Sores and Petra Absolutely!

It’s interesting how many people and particularly mature women are conned by romance fraudsters, I read about one recently who was conned, lost her home, pension and savings to a Ghanian scammer, she was then contacted b a “doctor” in Ghanaian who said he would get her money back.
They fell in love, she went to Ghana to meet him and was tragically killed in a car accident, he was driving but not badly injured

Her family had begged her not to go.

Sometimes you just can’t deal with stupid.

So are you saying giving somebody the benefit of the doubt is in the same class as falling for Internet "romance" scams?
GN guidance is to refer anybody suspicious to HQ and let them investigate and not to call out anybody you find "odd" as the T word.
Nobody is under any obligation to answer silly questions, but some people clearly like talking about themselves- we have had what I considered personally intrusive threads in the past. Getting up/going to bed times, personal habits, bath or shower (the recent stripwash one elicited far TMI I thought.)
That doesn't equal "stupid" though does it?
Scroll on by..

Sago

Sores and Petra Absolutely!

It’s interesting how many people and particularly mature women are conned by romance fraudsters, I read about one recently who was conned, lost her home, pension and savings to a Ghanian scammer, she was then contacted b a “doctor” in Ghanaian who said he would get her money back.
They fell in love, she went to Ghana to meet him and was tragically killed in a car accident, he was driving but not badly injured

Her family had begged her not to go.

Sometimes you just can’t deal with stupid.

I read this article with picture of her clinging to her boyfriend this morning. She couldn’t be stopped. In the olden days there would have been two doctors signatures, she would have been saved from herself as would her children’s inheritance.
It’s also unseemly when an older woman behaves like a queening cat.
This situation was more sinister, but the delusion is not unusual.
These women have neither mirrors or logic

RosiesMawagain

Sago

Sores and Petra Absolutely!

It’s interesting how many people and particularly mature women are conned by romance fraudsters, I read about one recently who was conned, lost her home, pension and savings to a Ghanian scammer, she was then contacted b a “doctor” in Ghanaian who said he would get her money back.
They fell in love, she went to Ghana to meet him and was tragically killed in a car accident, he was driving but not badly injured

Her family had begged her not to go.

Sometimes you just can’t deal with stupid.

So are you saying giving somebody the benefit of the doubt is in the same class as falling for Internet "romance" scams?
GN guidance is to refer anybody suspicious to HQ and let them investigate and not to call out anybody you find "odd" as the T word.
Nobody is under any obligation to answer silly questions, but some people clearly like talking about themselves- we have had what I considered personally intrusive threads in the past. Getting up/going to bed times, personal habits, bath or shower (the recent stripwash one elicited far TMI I thought.)
That doesn't equal "stupid" though does it?
Scroll on by..

This site is by definition self policing, which is what you are attempting here, by censoring regular posters, interwoven with valid comments on (stripwash) threads which largely validate the critical comments here.

Your first sentence makes no sense btw.

Your last instruction is unnecessary and agency denying.

🤔

I didn't take Scroll on by... as an instruction, just a bit of friendly advice. Or an observation.

We have had trolls on here before, some very convincing but posters and indeed GNHQ ignored warnings.

Some people may be lonely and GN is supposedly a friendly chat forum but it is easy to give out information unwittingly, especially if trying to help someone with a problem.

I don't understand how giving details of my dogs can be clues to my identity? Even photos.

They have 100s of facial expressions and run so fast that you'd be hard pressed to get a 10 second look at them, look let alone pick them out.

I know I'm obsessed with them, but I've never disclosed their names, age, weight etc, so what's the problem?