vBulletin & Spam

[Richiedude]

I am considering using vbulletin - one large concern however is Spam and Auto Bot signups - how is the latest version with the Captcha system etc at Bocking Spam?

Will I need plugins to effectively block spam?

My last board (using phpbb) got hit with at least 4-5 spam signups a day - it is VERY ANNOYING to have to constantly troll to delete signups and ban ip's, usernames, email domains etc. to prevent spam.

I wanted some feedback on how the latest vbulletin is - out of the box - and if addons are necessary - to effectively block most spam and bot signups.

Thanks!

[---MAD---]

There is an image verification system in place for searching (when unregistered), registering and using the contact us form (if enabled) so you should be fine .

[feldon23]

You saw the Captcha when you registered here at vBulletin.com. It has not been cracked by spambots. You will have control over the color scheme, fonts, twisting, turning, etc. effects used to display the Captcha.

So the only spammers you should get would be real people. And if you moderate the first post of every user (through Post Moderation and Usergroup Promotion) then each user's first post will be invisible until you approve it. Or you can restrict bbCodes like IMG and URL to certain Usergroups (free add-on at vBulletin.org). Either way you will have a spam-free forum.

[joeychgo]

SirAdrian also released a Hack to Prevent Spam -

That may help a bit.