# Socks **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840 "2005-04-05T14:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![klintypooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@klintypooh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klintypooh)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/1 "2005-04-05T14:26:57Z")
OK, I get what they are and why they’re frowned upon, my question is, how do they get caught out??? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/2 "2005-04-05T15:07:18Z")
o\_O ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/3 "2005-04-05T15:44:16Z")
Lol, how do you suppose this information will be useful to you? The mods have said before, their primary tools are IP addresses and actual content. I really wouldn’t expect any further detail. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/4 "2005-04-05T15:49:51Z")
For reasons that I hope are obvious, we’d rather not discuss the issue overmuch. As long as you have one and only one screen name, it’s not going to be an issue for you. your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![klintypooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@klintypooh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klintypooh)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/5 "2005-04-05T16:01:48Z")
I wasn’t looking for ways around it, I was just curious. I can’t imagine why I’d ever need to do it personally. Kind of like watching a forensics documentary to see just how they catch the criminals I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/6 "2005-04-05T16:20:58Z")
Coming soon - **CSI: SDMB?** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/7 "2005-04-05T17:27:07Z")
The simple reason is that most socks, like most criminals, are stupid. It’s easy to catch stupid people. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/8 "2005-04-05T18:31:29Z")
Let me also comment that we are often helped in rooting out socks by the active members, who notice things and report 'em. You hit the REPORT BAD POST button, the little exclamation point / ! \ in the upper right corner (now in a red triangle) to let us know your suspicions, and help keep the boards free of jerks. We appreciate the assist in locating suspicious characters. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/9 "2005-04-15T01:41:32Z")
So Sox are persons who have actually paid for another subscription? 😕 There are some new subscribers whose behavior seem similar to previous banned subscribers? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/10 "2005-04-15T02:18:16Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > So Sox are persons who have actually paid for another subscription? 😕 > > There are some new subscribers whose behavior seem similar to previous banned subscribers? :dubious: 1. Not necessarily. Usually they come back as guests and get re-banned before their 30 days is up. 2. Yes. A lot of posters have a distinct writing style, certain phrases that they use a lot, favorite issues to post on, etc. Most times they’re pretty easy to spot, even for us untrained laymen. ---
**Author:** ![klintypooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@klintypooh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klintypooh)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/11 "2005-04-15T16:36:50Z")
Like say a guest came along with the username Overweight Hairless Dude, we’d all get pretty darn suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/12 "2005-04-15T21:41:58Z")
Naah, we got lots of them. However, there is only one FatBaldGuy. 🙂 your humble TubaDiva Indubitably! ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/13 "2005-04-15T22:11:24Z")
I just want to know one thing, which CSI chief does Cecil resemble most, Peterson, Caruso or Sinise? I picture him as more of a Bill Peterson myself, with the real cool that Caruso only thinks he possesses. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/socks/297840/14 "2005-04-16T13:27:50Z")
> [@photopat](#): > > I just want to know one thing, which CSI chief does Cecil resemble most, Peterson, Caruso or Sinise? I picture him as more of a Bill Peterson myself, with the real cool that Caruso only thinks he possesses. Nah. Cecil is the guy they’re tracking, the one who’s slipped his bearings and is now fighting ignorance with a .45 Magnum. “Teeming Millions? _Screaming Millions!_ BWA HA HA HA!” (But then, I’m a BOFH at heart.)