Are all user names that are email addresses spammers? It certainly seems like it. Is there any downside to prohibiting users from using names like <xxxx@yyy.com>.
Not quite all: t-bonham@scc.net comes to mind as a legitimate user.
Beyond that, though, it’s really tough to ban whole categories of usernames/email addresses with the current version of vBulletin. There are a number of other patterns we know of that we would ban if we could.
Thanks. I forgot about t-bonham.
Or maybe they’re the best undercover/long-con spammer of the bunch!
By my count, we have a little north of 1100 registered users with that type of name construction, of which 148 are banned. I can’t tell the number of posts by those users though. I’m guessing most are not active.
Does that include usernames here that are the same as the username at the e-mail server … like watchwolf49?
I’m guessing that Bone looked for usernames that contained an @, or possibly an @ and a dot.
And it’s only fairly recently that the email-as-username spammers started showing up in bulk. Maybe they’re just getting lazy, or something.
They’ve tried that gambit before.
They keep trying different schemes to appear legit, not realizing that everything they do, especially when it’s en masse, make them stand out like a hi viz-clad cyclist standing in front of a medium grey wall.
Yeah, pretty much. I did not associate with user emails, only usernames.
If you have a username@outlook.com, you’re a spammer. I kill them without looking at their post.
…I registered on another forum with my email address. Completely by accident. I was mortified. Couldn’t figure out how to change it. Wasn’t inclined to contact the mods. I never ever posted to that forum. 
Back in the Olden Times, before the entire AOL Community thing folded, weren’t e-mail addresses as user names more common?
On another board, I’ve seen frickin’ spammers use @sharklasers.com for an email addy.
Off with their heads!
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Some of us have a certain set of skills. 
Even if you are a legitimate member with your email as your account name, you risk being spammed yourself, at best, or the victim of identity theft, at worst.
Some of the spammers might be using other people’s email addresses as account names, too.