Should I Restrict The Ability For New Members To Personal Message?

[Ridge Runner]

I have yet to have a problem of any kind so far but you will be the first to know if the need be .

 Thanks for a great forum.

 Chuck 

[Steve Herschbach]

Well, my quick take is that this is a non-issue. For the rare circumstances when a person does contact anyone with a suspicious sales proposal, do check their member info page (just click on their link or avatar) to see if they have ever posted. If not, take that as a possible red flag. And if obviously a scammer, please report it to me, so I can take action. Thanks for the quick feedback on this. Some of you have been around a long time, and if you are not experiencing it at all then it is rare indeed.

[Norvic]

Nah not experienced an unwanted PMer.

[SeabeeRon]

Steve, thanks for putting your members first and involving us in your decision process!!

PS:There is a special place in Hell for Spammers!!

[locator]

11 minutes ago, SeabeeRon said:

Steve, thanks for putting your members first and involving us in your decision process!!

PS:There is a special place in Hell for Spammers!!

Yap. Spammers place in hell... S P E L L

[D&P-OR]

Steve----I have had no problem in this regard.----Thanks for looking out for us--this is a great Forum.--------Del

[oneguy]

1 hour ago, delnorter said:

I’m glad you brought this up Steve. I was debating whether to let you know of a recent experience just like this.  

I posted the need for an original SDC 2300 coil a while back. I received a PM through the forum, by a “member”, about an individual who had a coil for sale. This guy provided a gmail address to contact an individual outside of the forum. I contacted this person and danced around availability, cost and shipping to the point I just told him I was suspicious of the whole thing and was ending it.

After this I went back to the forum to look up the “member” status of the one who send the PM about the guy with the coil. A brand new member with no posts. His only activity was to send the PM to me.

Thanks for bringing this issue to light Steve,

Mike

Had almost the exact same thing happen a few times when I sold a few items here. New member(s) interested in item for sale with no past history on the forum....BIG red flag!

[GeoBill]

This happened to me over a year ago when I posted that I was looking for an equinox. Unbelievable offer to sell me one with outside email address. I responded to the outside email address and asked that it be posted in the classified here and I would buy it. That was the end.

[Northeast]

Never had an issue Steve.   

Thanks for all that you do  👍

[Goldseeker5000]

I understand your concern to monitor and restrict spam. That is a given. I got on Prospecting Australia a few years ago and quickly saw that that forum is highly policed for any wrong doing even to the point that members have to go through the gauntlet to even be worthy to put up something they want to share. It is highly annoying and I stopped going to the forum. There is a reason your forum is desired above all other forums. I hope you won't go down that path that other forums have chosen to restrict new members. Perhaps there is another way without restricting new members and or making them earn their dues. For many it might just turn them away. But at the end of the day Steve, it's your forum do as you wish.