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There is a poster that seems to be here just to harvest replies. What should I do?

207 replies

Another2Cats · 13/05/2026 21:33

Very much as the title.

There is a poster here who made her (their?) first post on 25th April.

Since then, she (they) has made 57 posts, of which 55 are starting threads that appear to be just there for soliciting engagement. This is done by way of asking a question and providing a three or four word opening post. Or sometimes only a single word in the opening post.

Should I highlight this to @MNHQ and, if so, should I link to all the 55 threads that they have started since 25th April?

For context, I am often on the Genealogy board and it was only after seeing two threads started by this person there that I took notice and realised that they had also started multiple threads on other boards as well.

This included Chat, Other Subjects, Tech Tips, AIBU, Property/DIY, Music, Sports, UK Travel, Education, Baby Names, Living Overseas, Style and Beauty, True crime and unsolved mysteries, Bullying, Parenting, Pets, Food/Recipes, Wildlife nature & conservation, and Telly Addicts.

Starting 55 new threads in the space of two and a half weeks which appear to be very much about soliciting engagement doesn't seem to really be in line with what MN is really all about.

Just to add to that, the username of this person is a direct reference to a thread that the newspapers back then picked up on. It was a thread from 2013 that people who were here then would likely remember and the poster is likely purporting to be somebody with a history dating back to then (despite their first post being on the 25th April this year).

Without giving the name of this poster, it would be like if she had called herself something like "Isle of Wight bollards" or "stacking goats".

Am I even right to call out this sort of harvesting of replies?

Are MNHQ likely to do anything about this even if I do make a complaint?

OP posts:
justasking111 · 17/05/2026 13:05

Thmssngvwlsrnd · 17/05/2026 11:10

I've just been on a thread about someone leaving their receipt at an ATM, and one poster has mentioned they bank with TSB. I think MNHQ should really be warning people that there is at least one poster on here fishing for information.

The naivety of posters is concerning. But is MN obliged to protect them from themselves?

Thmssngvwlsrnd · 17/05/2026 11:10

I've just been on a thread about someone leaving their receipt at an ATM, and one poster has mentioned they bank with TSB. I think MNHQ should really be warning people that there is at least one poster on here fishing for information.

BarometerOftheTimes · 17/05/2026 10:38

Update- MN have removed the thread now.

BarometerOftheTimes · 17/05/2026 09:39

Same poster under different name- b..c...fatballs (again, a username alluding to classic threads) asking a few weeks ago for letters from parents' names. Post reported.

ForTheTitle · 17/05/2026 08:59

EmeraldRoulette · 16/05/2026 20:07

They are out in full force today, aren't they?! With bizarre questions and even asking for the date in full format.

I imagine it must be bots.

@Another2Cats I think you'd have to draw MNHQ attention to this thread, possibly you have to email them or maybe report the thread. I don't think they look here as a matter of course - I don't know for sure though

Edited

When you say ‘bots’ - what does that mean?

Are they real people?
AI generated?
A bug that is infiltrating MN?

I don’t really understand…🤔

Itsasecretnow · 17/05/2026 08:45

EmpressaurusKitty · 16/05/2026 21:19

Yeah, this one has been deleted.

EmpressaurusKitty · 17/05/2026 07:44

Report it. In the new context it might get deleted.

Cosleepingadvice · 17/05/2026 06:55

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/babynames/5525308-what-was-the-name-of-your-school-bullybullies?page=1&fbclid=IwVERDUAR2N0pleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR5nX_Ou8NBS2RxCHIxk8cfjFRtY5RTvCp-e3ZNIPNRv0im5AhE-g40bf-sQaemuCQngx6y8xZdK2h9SjKbhA

I wondered if this one is the same? MNHQ have even posted on it and people are STILL posting full names and in one case even the school name?! 🤯🤯🤯

justasking111 · 16/05/2026 23:19

It's somewhat sinister if they're harvesting data

WildGarden · 16/05/2026 21:27

Reported all three.

EmpressaurusKitty · 16/05/2026 21:21

SleepingDogsLie · 16/05/2026 21:20

@EmpressaurusKitty that OP has another 2 on the go.

FFS.

SleepingDogsLie · 16/05/2026 21:20

@EmpressaurusKitty that OP has another 2 on the go.

SleepingDogsLie · 16/05/2026 21:19

EmeraldRoulette · 16/05/2026 20:07

They are out in full force today, aren't they?! With bizarre questions and even asking for the date in full format.

I imagine it must be bots.

@Another2Cats I think you'd have to draw MNHQ attention to this thread, possibly you have to email them or maybe report the thread. I don't think they look here as a matter of course - I don't know for sure though

Edited

There’s been 3 in a row! So weird.

Bettermuseli · 16/05/2026 20:16

It would be really helpful to see a count of posts by OP before clicking on a thread. I ignore threads where OP only posts once in the first day, but it's annoying having to check.

DfromtheWdown · 16/05/2026 20:16

There’s one about Bank Holidays that seems dodgy active at the moment.

EmpressaurusKitty · 16/05/2026 20:12

I think Site Stuff is meant to be the one board they do check regularly. There’s also a thread about favourite wines but the OPs on both are engaging & the style is different.

EmeraldRoulette · 16/05/2026 20:07

They are out in full force today, aren't they?! With bizarre questions and even asking for the date in full format.

I imagine it must be bots.

@Another2Cats I think you'd have to draw MNHQ attention to this thread, possibly you have to email them or maybe report the thread. I don't think they look here as a matter of course - I don't know for sure though

Another2Cats · 16/05/2026 20:04

EmpressaurusKitty · 16/05/2026 15:51

I also think that if this poster had been on the level they’d have come on this thread & explained thrmselves, but they didn’t.

A couple of people posted on the dodgy threads with links back to this one, but no response.

To be fair to MNHQ, they did delete all of the threads started by the poster concerned by about midday on the following day after I started this thread at 9.30 in the evening.

I don't think that is totally unreasonable.

"A couple of people posted on the dodgy threads with links back to this one, but no response."

Even if they did have any intention of replying (which I doubt), then there wasn't long between me highlighting this issue and MNHQ doing something about it.

But, as several other posters have mentioned, I'm surprised that MNHQ have chosen not to respond at all to this thread in any way.

OP posts:
justasking111 · 16/05/2026 19:58

It used to be worse at weekends now it's daily. I don't bother reporting now because MN say that they're not breaking any rules. I just post a lot less, come on less often.

VanillaParkersBowl · 16/05/2026 19:21

Is the cartoon character thread one of these engagement ones? It would be easy enough to work out a rough age knowing what cartoons people watched.

I don't want to link to it to encourage the potential fuckers but its called which cartoon character did you fancy.

EmpressaurusKitty · 16/05/2026 15:51

I also think that if this poster had been on the level they’d have come on this thread & explained thrmselves, but they didn’t.

A couple of people posted on the dodgy threads with links back to this one, but no response.

MyAutumnCrow · 16/05/2026 13:06

Ijwwm · 16/05/2026 13:02

This x a thousand. I pretty much check all threads now to see all OP posts. If there is zero engagement then I take a quick swerve. If there IS any engagement, I take note of it. If it’s snarky, goady, deliberately arsey then I swerve again.

Yes, same. After a while you can just somehow tell that something is ‘off’ or very likely to be, eg a repeat name-changing poster with variations on the same script. Which makes the thread not only a waste of time but also a tad risky to engage with if the OP is collecting information.

Ijwwm · 16/05/2026 13:02

blacksax · 16/05/2026 10:32

@scalt Of course we can start threads like that, but the difference is that normal people would return to threads they started and engage with replies.

This x a thousand. I pretty much check all threads now to see all OP posts. If there is zero engagement then I take a quick swerve. If there IS any engagement, I take note of it. If it’s snarky, goady, deliberately arsey then I swerve again.

blacksax · 16/05/2026 10:32

@scalt Of course we can start threads like that, but the difference is that normal people would return to threads they started and engage with replies.