Title: Someone is continually adding subscribers
Last modified: June 8, 2020

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# Someone is continually adding subscribers

 *  [Adam](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ahardy42/)
 * (@ahardy42)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/)
 * I have set up a website and I am ready to start building up subscribers, but 
   before I even publicised the website, someone started adding subscribers. Whoever
   it is is adding subscribers with correct email addresses and confirming and setting
   the passwords.
 * They create about 20 a day, so it’s not panic stations. I have no idea why they
   are doing this, because it only gives them access to make comments (which they
   don’t) and receive the newsletter (which hasn’t been started yet).
 * What can I do? I suppose I could implement Google Recaptcha with a plugin, but
   I suspect that won’t stop them.
 * Here’s an example of their registration (they are all different user names and
   email domains):
 * New user registration on your site Finsbury Park and Stroud Green Neighbourhood
   Plan:
    _ [email redacted]
    -  This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/).
    -  This topic was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/).
      Reason: Moved to Fixing WordPress, this is not an Everything else WordPress
      topic

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  [Animesh Gaurav (a11n)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bizanimesh/)
 * (@bizanimesh)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-12950316)
 * Hi [@ahardy42](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ahardy42/)
 * I recommend using [Akismet Anti-Spam ](https://wordpress.org/plugins/akismet/)
   WordPress plugin.
 * The same issue also came to me but after installing the plugin I noticed a decrease
   in spam requests, and yes you can also use [Google Recaptcha plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-captcha/).
   🙂
 *  [Carike](https://wordpress.org/support/users/carike/)
 * (@carike)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-12950324)
 * Hallo 🙂
 * Please do not post other people’s information without their consent.
    Particularly
   when a username contains a full name and surname, plus an e-mail address.
 *  Thread Starter [Adam](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ahardy42/)
 * (@ahardy42)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-12951589)
 * [@carike](https://wordpress.org/support/users/carike/) did you read my post? 
   That account no longer exists because I deleted it from my website and that email
   is similar in pattern to about 200 others that I also deleted. I doubt they are
   actual email addresses – just 200 aliases that are either caught by pattern matching
   on their server. I’d be grateful to hear why you think they are real – honestly–
   it might help me stop the abuse.
 * [@bizanimesh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bizanimesh/) thanks. I forgot
   about Akismet! I’m using it on my other sites, so I’ll install it straight away.
   Fingers crossed.
 *  [Carike](https://wordpress.org/support/users/carike/)
 * (@carike)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-12952841)
 * I did read your post.
 * The fact that you have deleted these accounts from your site does not change 
   the fact that they **should not** be posted here.
 * In such an instance, one specific example adds no value to your post – and while
   there is a chance that these details are real, they **do not** belong on these
   forums.
    We assume neutral intent until such time as we have concrete evidence
   to the contrary. At this time, there is still a real possibility that, if those
   details are real, they were used to create accounts on your website without the
   person’s consent.
 *  Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/)
 * (@jdembowski)
 * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-12953664)
 * Moved to Fixing WordPress, this is not an Everything else WordPress topic.
 * _*Drinks coffee*_
 * Posting emails, regardless if you think they are real or not, is not for this
   site. If it’s spam or registration spam then those plugins may help you.
 * This is a good article for registration spam.
    [https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-stop-spam-registrations-on-your-wordpress-membership-site/](https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-stop-spam-registrations-on-your-wordpress-membership-site/)
 *  Thread Starter [Adam](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ahardy42/)
 * (@ahardy42)
 * [6 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-12956570)
 * Thanks. The plugins in the article rely on services like Akismet which I’m already
   using now, but “registration spam” is a good search term!
 * It baffles me that there is any point for the spammer to set up these spam registrations.
   I suspect the plan is based on finding a security flaw in the future at some 
   point with which they can do something nasty although that seems like a lot of
   effort for little & uncertain returns.
 *  [Carike](https://wordpress.org/support/users/carike/)
 * (@carike)
 * [6 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-13069614)
 * It’s a matter of scale.
    The bot may be checking if user registration is allowed
   in order to identify which sites may be vulnerable to further exploits – if user
   registration is not allowed, just for example, then the next bot doesn’t target
   that site.
 * There is also the possibility that the intention is to make bot registrations
   on OTHER sites (social media mainly) seem legit.
 * There are other possibilities as well, but I’d prefer not to address them on 
   public forums.

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

The topic ‘Someone is continually adding subscribers’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [Registration](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/registration/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 7 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [Carike](https://wordpress.org/support/users/carike/)
 * Last activity: [6 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/someone-is-continually-adding-subscribers/#post-13069614)
 * Status: not resolved

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