Goodreads has a problem

[Eldon, Lost on the road to Mordor]

This folder seems like as good a spot as any to broach this concern. I've noticed an increase in the number of friend requests from, shall we say, shady accounts. I don't expect anyone here to be able to solve this problem, but perhaps someone could direct me to someone who can do something about it?

It seems to me that the site has been infiltrated by accounts that are pushing links to places on the internet you don't want to go. If they're allowed to persist on here it undermines the overall safety of the site.

[Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger)]

I completely agree with you and am experiencing the same thing. Gives me the creeps. Like you, I would like to know where our complaint could be heard and solved. Good luck!

[Anna]

Apparently there are also a number of accounts which only ask women to be their Friend. Some then go on to ask for your email... and personal questions.

There are buttons where you can report, but I can't remember where they are, but I know them when I see them! Look out for them, and if enough report the perpetrators, it might help.

[Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger)]

Thank you, Anna. Hugs!

[Xanxa]

I used to get inbox messages asking for free review copies of my novels. That seems to have stopped since I posted an all-caps notice on my profile "THIS AUTHOR DOES NOT GIVE OUT FREE REVIEW COPIES".

If anyone asks for my email address or other details which I'm not comfortable giving out, I delete them from my friends. I didn't realise there were facilities for reporting. I shall look out for them in future.

Generally, it's best not to engage with any accounts which make you feel uncomfortable, or which you suspect to be scammers. Simply delete their messages and remove them from your friends list.

[Frederick]

Yes, I got several friend requests from a newly created accounts - no rewievs, zero to none books rated, all fresh from 2022, attractive woman profile pics. Few I've ignored, few accepted and almost imediately got PM, something generic like - Hi, where you from? Deleted, reported.
And, reportedly, there's an increasing nuber of such activity lately on GR.
Pity.

[Tomas, Wandering dreamer]

I think these come in waves. I've had a couple of weird invites in past, so I enabled the challenge question, and that seems to have stopped that - I guess the bot makers aren't willing to deal with that, especially as the invites are probably scripted so they wouldn't be even able to read that question, let alone make a sensible answer.

Then, at some point, there were a plethora of spam likes from profiles that had very suspicious links as their website on their profile. That seems to have lessened in intensity as well, and they moved the link from the website section to commenting them on their own profile, which is way low where few people scroll. I reported them anyway.

It's often either a new account or one that was inactive for years (and thus is obviously hacked account).

[Anna]

Enabling the challenge question is a good idea, Eldon.

[Belle]

How do you do a challenge question and what do you ask? I figured it would be under account settings but can't find how to do it.

[Tomas, Wandering dreamer]

It's in Account settings -> Settings -> scroll down to friend requests.
BUT
If you have an author account, it first chucks you into author settings, so you need to click something like "edit user profile" to get to the "normal" settings. Just because GR is clunky like that...

[Belle]

Ah, thanks. I kept getting the author settings and couldn't find a way out.

[Eldon, Lost on the road to Mordor]

Anna wrote: "Enabling the challenge question is a good idea, Eldon."

Hi Anna! I did enable that challenge question today. My concern though is not solely for myself. There's a lot of newbies who come here that might not know better than to click on the links these accounts put up in their profile or the comments under their profile.

Those links could easily install malware or ransomware on unsuspecting individuals who trusted that GR policed that kind of thing. You either have a safe online environment, or you don't. Frankly put, people come here for books not pornography or whatever else these sock puppets are peddling :(

[Gail]

Good luck with finding a place to report this stuff on Goodreads! This is most UN-USER Friendly site I've ever tried to find anything on!

[Eldon, Lost on the road to Mordor]

Gail wrote: "Good luck with finding a place to report this stuff on Goodreads! This is most UN-USER Friendly site I've ever tried to find anything on!"

Very true Gail! And thanks :)

[Eldon, Lost on the road to Mordor]

Well, that didn't work. Put the challenge question in place and still get the obvious fake requests. This is becoming a truly vexing problem.

[M.L.]

It's been going on for years.

[Eldon, Lost on the road to Mordor]

M.L. wrote: "It's been going on for years."

Maybe, but that doesn't make it right. I'm not done with this yet!

[M.L.]

Of course it doesn't. Posts like this are a good reminder. Wherever there is a lot of activity, there are scammers.

[Eldon, Lost on the road to Mordor]

I'm going to call this a success :) I contacted Goodreads about this issue and received resolution. In an email to me they assured me

"We don’t tolerate spam on Goodreads, and I’ve removed the content you brought to our attention."

This, along with a promise to do likewise to any more offending links I come across. Not bad all in all :)

[Anna]

Well done and thanks!