Brutkey

Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm:
@markwyner@mas.to

Y’all. This is a known spammer who is picking up momentum. We’re seeing LOTS of accounts using the same name and avatar. But the bio varies from instance to instance. And a minority of them don’t have an avatar, but still use the name.

If you see these accounts, please report them. We’re trying to wipe them out, but we can’t until we know about them.

Thanks for the teamwork! 🤝🤝

#Spam #JimmyTruth #Teamwork #Moderation

Screenshot of a Mastodon avatar, name, and handle. The name is Jimmy Truth. The avatar is a young white male, with a long buzz cut, wearing a white tank top.
Frances Perkins was right
@crazyjaneway@open-ground.org

@markwyner@mas.to hi just wondering if you can point me in the right direction. I have been getting a lot of follows from people with no posts and no followers. I think these are bots, not people. How do I block them?

Azure (Rainbow system)
@azure@cathode.church

@crazyjaneway@open-ground.org Hi! I'm not who you're replying to, but I can help out, since @markwyner@mas.to is getting a lot of replies. I've been on here and active since I think 2022 (with migrations, so the date on my profile doesn't reflect this).

1. Those accounts may be real people. Some people don't realize they should fill out their profile. (And if they're not on open-ground.org, their bio might just not show up for you unless you visit their profile on their instance, for example mas.to.) However, it is completely your choice whether to block them! It is very normal and okay to block empty profiles that follow you on here.

2. To block an account, click on their name or profile picture. There should be a "block" option on their profile. On the web version, click the three dots next to "Follow" or "Follow back", click "Block", then confirm your choice. If you only use the app, I don't use it myself, but I can try to troubleshoot further if you reply with screenshots.

Good luck!

Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm:
@markwyner@mas.to

@azure@cathode.church

What Azure said. A lot of times folks arrive and begin following before fleshing out a profile or posting. Sometimes folks use Mastodon simply to consume.

Often someone will follow me like that. I never follow empty profiles or without posts, especially when they’re new. But I’ll go back and look later and see things fleshing out.

However…sometimes they’re just spammers. So I’d say be cautious without going nuclear. Helpful?

@crazyjaneway@open-ground.org thank you for the assist! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

Frances Perkins was right
@crazyjaneway@open-ground.org

@markwyner@mas.to @azure@cathode.church thank you both! I came here to be feel safe so thank you for talking me down!

Chris Hayes
@chris@nutmeg.social

@crazyjaneway@open-ground.org @markwyner@mas.to @azure@cathode.church
I'd also add due to how the fediverse works, you may see blank profiles because your server has not downloaded their profile yet.

If you click the profile options -> "Open original page", you're taken to their home server, which may show more posts.

I see this a lot on my small server. Usually it's just in relation to profiles missing posts, and not the whole profile being blank.
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services has a page about it: https://fedi.tips/why-does-someones-account-page-look-completely-blank-is-it-really-blank/

Fedi.Tips
@FediTips@social.growyourown.services

@chris@nutmeg.social @crazyjaneway@open-ground.org @markwyner@mas.to @azure@cathode.church

Yeah, if a profile looks blank it often isn't, it's usually just someone who is new and their posts haven't federated to your server yet.

This is due to be fixed at some point with a feature that lets you load posts onto an apparently blank profile, but in the meantime you can check their "original page" as stated in the guide.