WTF Is Up Wit Dis Shit?
This one’s not a joke. (No, really, it isn’t). About 12 Outlook.com accounts with gibberish names signed up to follow this blog in the past 24 hours. As far as I can tell, they are not real accounts. I wonder what benefit it is to spammers to do such a thing? I mean, these accounts signed up to follow me, they didn’t try to leave spam comments on a post. I’m rather perplexed. If these are not fake accounts, and the people they belong to read this post, please comment here and tell me why you think a name like vbftgyhmosheer@outlook.com is a good email address to have. And if this was done by the Academy Awards wanting to give me yet another “Best Actor In A Motion Picture Yet To Be Made” award, I’m not interested, so just stop. (But, really, this did happen and I am quite curious as to what be up.)
The Arm Chair Pontificator 
Okay, so at least I’m not crazy! At first I thought, yay! new followers…then it just kept coming every few days, then multiple times in a day now and that’s when I thought, this can’t be real. I realized they were mostly this outlook.com and then I went on a hunt to find an answer and here you are…thx for clearing that up!
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Yeah, it’s crazy. I unsubscribed from the “notify me when you get a new follower” button on WP, and now I don’t get these any more. WP automatically deletes them from your followers list, too. Some group or company, or who knows what, is really spamming WP with this nonsense, however. Hopefully they’re looking into it.
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This has been happening to me, too. Like, a lot… 12 or so followers per day. Then, when I go to my followers or email subscribers, they’re not there. I get an email everytime someone subscribes. So I have the email address even though they don’t show up on my subscribe list.
Not sure why it’s happening but it’s kind of annoying. I’d like to delete the emails but I can’t help but think I may need them in the future? Maybe? If I delete the emails, I won’t have the email addresses. So it’s junking up my email inbox lol.
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Yeah. I get one or two a day, and, like you, they do not show up on my followers list. I just delete them from my email inbox, however. It’s very odd. And annoying.
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I have a Hotmail/outlook account. Nothing like this has happen. I should check my junk spam see if anything by that name appears.
That sucks. You should just spam them as junk and you won’t receive any of that.
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Well, they weren’t showing up as spam, they showed up as new subscribers to my site. However, they have since vanished. Strange.
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That is strange. Damn outlook.
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I may have figured out what the email subs are. I have a commentator named Alex who posts basically the same weird comment on random posts. I looked at the data with the comment and while it has the same name it comes from different email address and different IPS. I keep flagging them as spam, but I noticed that a few other blogs I subscribe to also have them. Hope this helps. Hugs
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All of the outlook.com subscribers have magically vanished from my followers list. Strange indeed.
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This happened to my blog, too, so I checked it out with WordPress. It’s been happening to a lot of blogs. The new followers don’t pose any security risks to bloggers. However, they could affect WordPress. Every time someone posts, WordPress sends an email to all email followers. Imagine what that would do to the capacity of the system if hundreds of blogs all got a host of new outlook.com followers. The good news is that WordPress knows and is working on a fix. It’s relatively easy to remove any followers if you choose to do so.
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Thanks for this. It seems like several of these “followers” have been deleted already from my blog. I didn’t do it but, if I needed to, how do I do this? I can’t seem to find a “delete follower” button anywhere. Is there one I’m missing? Or do I need to ask WP to do it? Thanks.
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If you click on your site and click on “stats” you’ll go to a screen called “traffic” in the upper title bar. Next to it is a choice called “insights.” If you click on insights, it will take you to a screen that includes a list of all your followers (bottom right). The list is usually set on WordPress followers, but beneath you can click on email followers. If you choose “View All” at the bottom of the list, you will see the entire list. On the right side of each follower is a simple choice – “Remove.” If you click on it, they disappear… I hope this helps…
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It does! Thanks so much!
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Yes indeed my friend, I have had about 20 of these so far, though in the last day or so they have disappeared! Most odd.
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I noticed that most of the ones I received have vanished, too. Strange. I’m in the middle of reading a George Perez Wonder Woman omnibus at the moment and it’s heavenly fantastic! I’ve gotta save up some $ so I can get the New Teen Titans omnibus by Perez and Wolfman! Great stuff!
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George Perez anything is awesome, but his Wondy run is legendary stuff indeed! Enjoy, my friend. 🙂
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Will do. Just finished John Byrne’s omnibus of Wonder Woman. Forgot how terrific that was! Too many comics, too little time and $$$$!!
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I have seen the same thing on my blog too. If the government wants to know what I am up to, they should follow me on twitter or be brave enough and just stop me on the road and ask.
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Just got another one this morning.
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It’s the damn government man! They are out to get us. Anyone else want a toke off of this? It’s good shit man!
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I was thinking the same thing. Too many anti-Trump posts and BAM! you get watched. I fucking hate Trump and the REpukelicans, BTW. 🙂
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Really? I hadn’t noticed 😉
I despise the walking turd sack! I have to watch a certain amount of news just to keep up with things, but after 10 minutes of Trumpisms I have to walk away or turn it off, or throw something at the tv.
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I’m the same way. Hate the guy.
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I have the same issue. I have no idea why they are doing it. Hugs
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Me either, but it’s weird. I feel like putting the email addresses on a site that advertises “escorts”. Under each email address I’ll write, “For a good time, email Bubba at mhgffryy@outlook.com.
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I love it. Go for it. Hugs
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I might just. 🙂
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I’m just speculating here, and I’m probably wrong, but here-goes.
If I was in the business of monitoring social media for the purposes of understanding what we non-mainstream media bloggers are up to, secretly following their sites would be an effective way to do that. Now, who is in the business of monitoring social media? I can think of several obvious candidates:
corporate media analysts
journalists who want to keep tabs on what’s going on
big business interests, especially those under scrutiny
the NSA and CIA
political analysts, especially those working for the two major parties
political advocacy organizations
foreign operatives having interests in America
religious institutions
internet trolls with an axe to grind
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Yep. All of those things crossed my mind, too. I’ve a lot of anti-Trump, anti-Repukelican stuff here. I thought maybe it might be some right-wing group of assholes.
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Could very well be.
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What Bob said. Sounds reasonable.
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Yeah, could be.
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Mine seem to originate from linux.org … with various email addresses.
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I had a linux for dinner once. Very tasty.
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I had a pet linux for three years until she ate my wife, Now she’s my wife.
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She sounds lovely.
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It is occurring on a lot of WordPress blogs. The forums have been overwhelmed with this problem. WordPress is assuring bloggers that our privacy is not compromised.
So far, I seem to be getting ‘followed’ by porn sites. Oh my! I should never have posted that ‘stripper’ blog! Geesh!
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Yeah, porn sites often spam me too. Probably because, as a youth, I was known as “The Next Johnny Holmes”. It’s been both a blessing and a curse for me to live with that moniker, but, so far, I’ve managed OK.
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Yep, me too! It is happening all over WordPress. They say there is no problem with these “followers” they can just be deleted and they are looking into it.
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Cool. Thanks.
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How do I go about deleting followers? Didn’t know we could do that. 🙂
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Yes, I have seen the same with one of my sites.
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Strange. Can’t be legit, so I wonder what’s going on, and why Outlook.com? Hmmm….
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They are spam followers. Though I have no idea what they hope to achieve.
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World dominance most likely. 🙂
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Probably. i can’t think of something else.
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