Someone mentally ill has been harrassing our staff and users for over a year now

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Costello

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As someone who has been running a relatively large video game site for the past two decades, I can say that it isn't unusual to have to deal with idiots who think they rule the world. We ban dozens of people every day: spambots mostly, but also people who post threats, who post atrocities, and whatnot.

But there's been one single guy that has been continuously harrassing us for over a year now. That guy is known on the internet as "Clancy" or "clancydaenlightened" on Twitter.

You may think I am exaggerating, because this sounds unbelievable, but truly there hasn't been a single day over the past year where this guy hasn't created dupe accounts, flooded our mailboxes, mass PMed our staff or members, posted threats on twitter, facebook and all that. He keeps creating dupe accounts here through Tor, proxies, VPNs, and our staff continues to block him every day. We have a team of 30+ staff members so it only takes us a second to wipe out his dupe accounts (whereas from our estimate it takes several minutes to create a dupe on our site) so we can literally do this all day.

We have had our lot of persistent assholes in the 20 years this site has existed, but none of them had been at it for more than a week or two. This guy has been at it EVERY DAY for over a year now.
Some of our moderators, having had enough with the guy, started investigating him personally to see what the deal was. Turns out this guy has got all his data out there in the open, he literally doxes himself everywhere and shows the drugs he's under, on social media. His real name, address, phone number, family members, are all easy to find or identify.

He seems to be a legitimately, severely mentally ill person, and I say this not just because of his year-long harrassment but also based on the things he posts on social media. He was recently banned from Twitter and subsequently posted this:

1653528875147.png


There is a hall of shame that exists in our collective memory at the GBAtemp mod team, and, through this thread, I wanted to share with you that we have a winner with this guy. None of us have ever had to deal with someone this deranged and bizarre.

He spends entire nights flooding our mailboxes with shit like this:

1653529642120.png


In light of what's happening in the USA lately with the mass shootings and killings, I am truly wondering if we should probably do something more practical about his behavior -- I'm talking about reporting him to the police, but certainly not doing ourselves justice. Inbetween the flood of insults there's also been threats of mass slaughter and crazy shit like that, that you wouldn't normally take seriously on the Internet. But the recent events make me wonder if not reporting him may put us, or someone else, at risk.

A member who was frequently harrassed by Clancy has told us that they reported him to the local police already, but it doesn't look like they did anything about it -- even though the police was given a name, an address, and a phone number. Now if you have any recommendations on how to handle this properly and avoid what could be another true, real life disaster, we're all ears.
 

K3Nv2

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Agreed, the staff and moderators are great but... the solution is, what exactly?
Just like in life if someone continues to harass you report it to the police and let proper authorities get involved, for someone in IT you should be well aware how easy it is to get past any security system on the internet.
 

DCarnage

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Yes, people get around security and it sucks. Do you really think that the authorities in the US are going to get involved with a post on an internet forum? I mean seriously?! The teachers want me to block all "unblocked Google site games", I can but unfortunately it will block all other Google services as well. Solution? Better classroom management and consequences. Do you think they're going to do that? Nah.
 

K3Nv2

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Yes, people get around security and it sucks. Do you really think that the authorities in the US are going to get involved with a post on an internet forum? I mean seriously?! The teachers want me to block all "unblocked Google site games", I can but unfortunately it will block all other Google services as well. Solution? Better classroom management and consequences. Do you think they're going to do that? Nah.
Uh yeah online harassment is a thing police kind of take seriously these days.
 

elk1007

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Agreed, most filters are easily bypassed in the first place no matter how sophisticated. Just get a wide latin keyboard config and that already goes past most.. This entire situation relating to this thread honestly just sucks though, I get that almost everyone deals with it like @DCarnage said but that doesn't mean the situation is suddenly different; it's still not really okay.

2FA would be useful but like most things it's kind of a bandaid, just a matter of time until someone gets down a groove to getting past it, from what I saw by OP this person (and others) are extremely persistent as it's been going on over a year, 2FA would simply slow down the inevitable. [ Not a bad suggestion though ;) ]

There is probably a workaround for cell phone 2FA (number spoofing perhaps).
I think there is a distinction between a single person publicly harrassing and general cyber protection from spam/ad/scam groups that most websites deal with.

There's only one solution that isn't a bandaid.
I think fines and jailtime are enough punishment.
I don't personally support The Final Solution
 
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@elk1007 true, dealing with individuals usually goes one of two ways, either A: they give up after a bit since they realize people catch on to them, or B: if they're persistent as seems to be the case with many of people's issues here, they keep at it and since they're one person can end up slipping past undetected until they harass / cause harm.. etc.

While it's true that there aren't many solutions other than band-aid esque things, they can still help.. 2FA can be bypassed relatively easily yes, but it also depends on how lenient they are with it. Some require you to constantly verify this information and bypassing with a temp spoof or tempmail will only get you so far (unless you create configs for his thing specifically [burner phones also are usually temporary]) Most authentication features now are also able to detect things like TempMail in the first place along with sites that provide online SMS features (Take Discord for example, damn near impossible to get verified unless you have a real device to do so with [Yes I know it's possible without, just a royal pain in the ass.])

With all of that in mind though there certainly are preventative measures that can be taken without having to resort to the Final Solution I personally only see that as necessary if the situation truly warrants it. Which in the OPs case at this point I think it's safe to assume it's within reasonable action, as a straight year of harrassment is not acceptable.
 

DCarnage

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There is probably a workaround for cell phone 2FA (number spoofing perhaps).
I think there is a distinction between a single person publicly harrassing and general cyber protection from spam/ad/scam groups that most websites deal with.

There's only one solution that isn't a bandaid.
I think fines and jailtime are enough punishment.
I don't personally support The Final Solution
I like that, 2FA attached to a cell is a good idea. Unfortunately, fines and jailtime will not work in some countries. Hopefully something good comes out of this thread instead of "thicker skin" because that's the only thing I can do atm.
 
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I like that, 2FA attached to a cell is a good idea. Unfortunately, fines and jailtime will not work in some countries. Hopefully something good comes out of this thread instead of "thicker skin" because that's the only thing I can do atm.
You can also attach procedures to your 2FA that requires constant verification of said information, thus rooting out most illigitimate means of verification. Would it be annoying to most users? Probably, but it could also help weed out unsavory people. Not the best solution, but it's just the first thing that comes to mind.
 
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elk1007

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@elk1007 true, dealing with individuals usually goes one of two ways, either A: they give up after a bit since they realize people catch on to them, or B: if they're persistent as seems to be the case with many of people's issues here, they keep at it and since they're one person can end up slipping past undetected until they harass / cause harm.. etc.

While it's true that there aren't many solutions other than band-aid esque things, they can still help.. 2FA can be bypassed relatively easily yes, but it also depends on how lenient they are with it. Some require you to constantly verify this information and bypassing with a temp spoof or tempmail will only get you so far (unless you create configs for his thing specifically [burner phones also are usually temporary]) Most authentication features now are also able to detect things like TempMail in the first place along with sites that provide online SMS features (Take Discord for example, damn near impossible to get verified unless you have a real device to do so with [Yes I know it's possible without, just a royal pain in the ass.])

With all of that in mind though there certainly are preventative measures that can be taken without having to resort to the Final Solution I personally only see that as necessary if the situation truly warrants it. Which in the OPs case at this point I think it's safe to assume it's within reasonable action, as a straight year of harrassment is not acceptable.

These are good points.
Discord is indeed hard to smurf; I have tried for benign purposes :creep:

I know some people get court punishments where they are not allowed to access the internet or own certain devices.
 
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These are good points.
Discord is indeed hard to smurf; I have tried for benign purposes :creep:

I know some people get court punishments where they are not allowed to access the internet or own certain devices.
That is true, I've seen people talk about that in this thread already, and have seen real life applications of it as well. When people are deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others with access of such devices or connectivity it's best to just- how should I say.. Give them the equivalent of a time out until they learn to chill. Won't work for everyone; that's almost guaranteed.. but it can most certainly help keep them from causing or being involved in any more incidents
 

DCarnage

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You can also attach procedures to your 2FA that requires constant verification of said information, thus rooting out most illigitimate means of verification. Would it be annoying to most users? Probably, but it could also help weed out unsavory people. Not the best solution, but it's just the first thing that comes to mind.
Mods, this ^^^
 

DCarnage

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Now, I will say this and it's nothing against people here but all people in general. It makes me sad that most people will attack each other for their opinions rather than working together to come up with a solution to a problem. I'm not one to attack another but have been attacked many times as most of you have been as well. Why can't we listen to someone's opinion and make a compromise to fix the issue at hand? Everyone above this post have opinions and a few have some good solutions. IMO, Korozin has the best solution, good person right there. Can't we be more like Korozin?
 

The Catboy

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@The Catboy is an amazingly kind and complex person, and I'm glad we're friends. They don't deserve this harassment in the slightest.
I try my best, I am glad we are friends too!:wub:
 
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Now, I will say this and it's nothing against people here but all people in general. It makes me sad that most people will attack each other for their opinions rather than working together to come up with a solution to a problem. I'm not one to attack another but have been attacked many times as most of you have been as well. Why can't we listen to someone's opinion and make a compromise to fix the issue at hand? Everyone above this post have opinions and a few have some good solutions. IMO, Korozin has the best solution, good person right there. Can't we be more like Korozin?
I agree, people constantly butting heads will not get anyone anywhere except in a realm of pure frustration. Also I appreciate your comments about me but my solutions are just quickly thought up ideas, mayhaps if someone took up the idea and built upon it, it could work as other companies / forums what have you have done similar things in the past (hence my Discord example) I agree with the sentiment though, you're a good person :)
 

DCarnage

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I agree, people constantly butting heads will not get anyone anywhere except in a realm of pure frustration. Also I appreciate your comments about me but my solutions are just quickly thought up ideas, mayhaps if someone took up the idea and built upon it, it could work as other companies / forums what have you have done similar things in the past (hence my Discord example) I agree with the sentiment though, you're a good person :)
Much love, have a great night (or morning, not sure where you live). I love the community that is here, good people.
 

elk1007

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Could GBATemp create 2 tiers of user based on cell phone verification (I think it's called 2Factor Auth??)
Lower tier can only post in EOF :rofl:

You can also attach procedures to your 2FA that requires constant verification of said information, thus rooting out most illigitimate means of verification. Would it be annoying to most users? Probably, but it could also help weed out unsavory people. Not the best solution, but it's just the first thing that comes to mind.
 

p1ngpong

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This should be a lesson to everyone not just the fuckhead this thread is aimed at. We take harassment of our staff and members very seriously and do not just lay back and take it. The staff here are very clever and very sleuthy and not the type of people you should try to outsmart. We have accumulated scarily detailed dossiers on people in the past who have been harassing us and have passed that information on to authorities, family, ISPs etc before many times.

Do not think because we are a smaller site you can get away with messing with us. If anything we are more likely to take action than the giant sites out there so be warned.
 

tabzer

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Ah. So this is just a subtle warning "to the rest of us".

We take harassment of our staff and members very seriously and do not just lay back and take it.

"What do you think guys? He seems dangerous. Should we call the police? Let's roast him until someone says something no-one thought of before."
 

linuxares

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Ah. So this is just a subtle warning "to the rest of us".



"What do you think guys? He seems dangerous. Should we call the police? Let's roast him until someone says something no-one thought of before."
Yes Tabazer the wise, give us the best solution then?
 

tabzer

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Yes Tabazer the wise, give us the best solution then?
I'm confused about the presumption that you are looking for a solution. The guy loves you more than he loves himself. He rated you on par with Google. It's obvious to me that you don't actually see risk, otherwise you wouldn't be saying,"what you you think, tell me what you think in the comments!", or make posts that would provoke more activity from him. Maybe it's an ongoing joke, and you want to seek approval from the community at large by presenting it as a "genuine concern". Maybe you like faking outrage because you don't want to confront your parents about your growing pains.

To me this reads like a humblebrag alluding to the idea that "we do dangerous work here". With P1ngs latest clarification, "don't annoy us or we might put you on blast," it kind of destroys the whole message presented in the first place.
 
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linuxares

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I'm confused about the presumption that you are looking for a solution. The guy loves you more than he loves himself. He rated you on par with Google. It's obvious to me that you don't actually see risk, otherwise you wouldn't be saying,"what you you think, tell me what you think in the comments!", or make posts that would obviously provoke more activity from him. Maybe it's an ongoing joke, and you want to seek approval from the community at large by presenting it as a "genuine concern". Maybe you like faking outrage when called out.

To me this reads like a humblebrag alluding to the idea that "we do dangerous work here". With P1ngs latest clarification, "don't annoy us or we might put you on blast," it kind of destroys the whole message presented in the first place.
Nah, after X amount of death threats. A lot of slandering, a lot of trying to reason with the individual, getting the police involved atleast in one accuation, having other sites contact us about him etc.

But we gotten told by the police that they don't really care. At least just from one source doing the reporting. I've suggest methods how to block him, sadly all the ways is also extremely easy to bypass. We know for example previous offenders here, just registered a new account but have behaved. So we given a bit of leeway to it.

But this individual absolutely have something lost in the head. He wants to be seen as some "omnipotent" being. He been spamming disgusting things in the chat, on the boards etc. So people can now know we actually try to handle it.

I for one wasn't awake when this was posted, but I don't mind it. If he now wanted the attention, he have gotten it.
 
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