Storing spam entries in database

Hi @nathan24,

Thanks for the great question about our “store spam entries in database” option!

Essentially, by enabling “store spam entries in database,” all submissions, even those flagged as potential spam by reCAPTCHA, are allowed to go through and reach the confirmation stage.

However, the crucial difference is what happens behind the scenes, as described in our guide:

• Spam entries are stored: Submissions that fail the captcha (and are thus identified as spam) are stored in your WPForms entries, but they are marked as “spam.” You can review these entries in your WPForms dashboard under the “Spam” tab.
• No notification emails for spam: As our documentation mentions, WPForms will not send out notification emails for entries that are identified as spam. This is the key to the “silent failure” aspect. You won’t be alerted to these spam submissions through email notifications.

So, to summarize, it effectively achieves a “silent failure” in the way you’re hoping for:

1. Spammers don’t get an obvious error message, so they are less likely to realize their submissions are being flagged.
2. Real users, even if they have a hiccup with the captcha, are still able to complete the form and see a confirmation, preventing frustration.
3. You still capture the spam entries in your database (if you want to review them later), but you aren’t bothered with notification emails for spam.

I hope this clarifies how spam entries work! If you have any more questions, please feel welcome to let me know.

Thanks!