Be Safe Guys - Tumblr Posts

Potential Virus Risk on AO3 Comments

Hey everyone. So, I wanted to make a post about something I've seen in AO3 comments recently and I wanted to let y'all know so you can be careful.

Today, on two separate fics of mine, I got comments from guests with different names that had what looks like a key smash followed by a weird link. They looked like this:

Now, it is possible that these are legit comments and these links lead to nothing bad. But, in my experience, this looks like a classic phishing scam or a link to a virus. Honestly, I never open links I see online unless I know for sure I can trust the source. And even then I'm a bit hesitant, since I know that accounts can be hacked. I actually deleted the first email and comment immediately and didn't really think about it again. However, after getting another comment that was almost identical but from a guest with a different name, it makes me think that this might be something bad.

So, if you see these kinds of comments, unless you know exactly who sent it, I'd recommend just deleting them and not clicking on the links. Honestly, even if you know who sent it, I'd still be careful just in case they got hacked. If someone wanted to send you a legit link, they would probably do it with some kind of comment beforehand saying what the link actually leads to. This seems to me like they're trying to prey off curiosity and it can lead to some nasty stuff. Since I know some AO3 writers and readers follow me, I thought I'd post about it here. Similarly, if you see a comment like this on someone's fic, maybe don't click on it either. Again, I can't guarantee this is anything bad, since I definitely did not click on the links, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If y'all could reblog this to spread the word, I'd appreciate it.

Anyway, be careful out there guys! I got burned a few too many times as a kid, so I'm extra careful with links and things now, ha.

EDIT: Apparently, these links are indeed malicious. I checked them in an online link checker, and it detected one malicious source from the link in the second message, but 12 malicious sources in the link from the first message. So, it's pretty clearly a virus or phishing scam. Please be aware!

Hey y'all,

We are seeing an increasing number of house fires this year, and almost all of them are in older homes which haven't had the electricity updated, or in mobile homes. Regardless of the type of home you live in, there are precautions you can take to prevent losing everything.

I just got back from a house fire that killed three pets, last week a child was severely injured, and also last week a single mom of 4 lost all of her children's clothes, toys, and furniture.

Please take the time to check your home for fire hazards.

Replace furnace filters on time. Check them regularly.

Check the batteries on your smoke detectors. If you do not have a smoke detector, contact your local American Red Cross office and set up a FREE install.

If you have pre-1980 wiring in your home, make sure it isn't overloaded by electronics. Unplug things you don't use regularly.

All heaters need space. Keep pets, kids, and flammable items at least 3 feet away from heating equipment (including paper, matches, bedding, furniture, clothing, carpets, rugs, etc.).

Never leave a fire unattended. This includes fireplaces, outdoor grills, outdoor fire pits, and candles.

I know I did this when I lived in a slum, but please don't ever use a stove or an oven to heat your home. It also increases the chances of injury to yourself, your pets, and your children.

And I know this sucks, but don't leave a portable space heater on when you leave the house OR when you sleep. Waking up to a fire lowers your chance of survival.

Do not go near downed power lines.

If your power goes out, try to use flashlights instead of candles. If you have to use candles, use smaller ones like tealights with a 2-hour flame and keep them a minimum of 2 feet away from anything that can catch fire, especially blankets and curtains.

If you use candles, blow them out when you leave a room.

If there is an electrical storm, unplug sensitive electronics.

Please get a carbon monoxide detector. CO is virtually undetectable until you're already poisoned. It can kill you in your sleep by depriving the body of oxygen. It is more likely to affect pets, children, and people who are lying down first because it sits lower in the air.

If you are renting from a slumlord: chances are higher that if a house fire occurs, they will blame you. Photograph the interior of your home once each winter to prove that you didnt overload outlets or keep the couch too close to a heater if a fire occurs, and provide this informstion ONLY tontyebfire department and your lawyer. Make sure you are doing what you can control to keep you and your family safe. Contact your local fire department for info regarding tenant rights during and after a fire in your county.

GET RENTERS INSURANCE. It is cheap, especially compared to the cost of everything you love in your home. Mine is $120 per year for $40k in coverage. The average that I've seen is $55-$150 per year. Shop around for the best rate in your area, it is 100% worth it. After getting the insurance, document the serial numbers of every major electronic in your home. Gaming consoles, TV, blenders, laptops, and even your phone. There is no guarantee your phone will make it outside with you during a fire.

Please keep yourself and your family safe this winter.

If a house fire does occur, even if you have a place to stay while recovering, please call your local Red Cross. You may be eligible for financial assistance, medical and spiritual care, and mental health care. A Disaster Action Team member will contact you and get your case opened and get you started on your recovery, likely with financial assistance, and a case worker will follow up shortly after.

We can also help replace medical equipment, prescriptions, disability aids (including glasses, compression socks, and wheelchairs), and overnight necessities like toothpaste and deodorant.

If you or someone you know has suffered a disaster like a home fire, please contact the Red Cross.

(800) 773-2767

[Shut off last version of this post to avoid possible continual spread of misinformation that was corrected by staff. Reposting clean with corrected info]

So I'm sure almost everyone knows about the porn bot problem by now, so here's a post detailing why it's a problem, and what we need to do about it.

First off, yes, always block the porn bots. Don't be mislead into thinking they're ok to keep around because they 'inflate your follower count.'

Firstly, no one cares about, nor can anyone even see, your follower count. Be free from the shackles that are the bullshit other socials told you was important. Don't let your ego be tied to a number. Having a lot of followers won't earn you any clout here.

Secondly, bots only follow blogs to try and legitimize their malware (and other dodgy) links. This post goes into more detail about that.

Now that that's out of the way, you'll need to know how to recognize a porn bot. This round the template seems to be:

A profile photo of a pretty lady or guy, usually in their underwear, with a similar header photo.

A bio with some combination of: [Age] // [Name] // [Location] // [Emoji] // [Top Bullshit% OnlyFans]

URL consisting of a name followed by a number (i.e: firstlast999)

Typically an empty blog, or if there is content, it's all dodgy links. Visible, but empty, Likes Tab, & occasionally a visible Following Tab.

You likely recognize the pattern.

So, what you want to do is, first, report the blog as spam On mobile it'll look like this:

On mobile you'll need to report spam first, and then go back to the menu again to block.

On desktop it will look like this, and unlike mobile, you'll be able to report spam and block in the same motion:

If I remember correctly,* be sure to "Report Spam", not "Report sexually explicit material" to feed the bots to the proper channels. Because the blog is empty, they haven't posted anything explicit that would violate TOS. However, staff can recognize a bot, and if you report the blog for spam (the actual problem) they'll take a look, more than likely find that the blog is posting or DMing dodgy links, and dispose of it.

And I think that's it. Here's wishing you all a happy and safe blogging experience!

[UPDATE: It was suggested on another post that the bots track your IP if you click on them to send more your way. However, someone from staff corrected and said this is incorrect. They also corrected the 'guilt by association' myth that bots following you can get your blog flagged by tumblr.

That said, that trail all led to another, easier, way to report/block the bots all from your Follower Tab instead of visiting each blog separately, unfortunately it only works on desktop:

(For newbies, click on the little person icon at the top right of your screen and scroll to find the Followers tab under the blog/sideblog you need to block a pornbot from.)

*I remember this information from a blog that used to be all about taking down the pornbots. Unfortunately I do not know if that blog is still active, nor can I remember the URL. If anyone knows what blog I'm referring to, and/or if they're still active, please feel free to tag them so others can follow them for more tips!

Hey, UH. If you're a minor, and you SHOW you're a minor on your bio or whatever... Don't go sending spicy messages and asks to other people on tumblr. You don't know their real ages. And for a lot of older tumblr users, getting things from someone that could be your kid talking about steamy stuff and ideas is really REALLY uncomfortable. So.. Maybe don't do that.

I AM AN ADULT. I AM ALLOWED TO DO THE SPICY FROM TIME TO TIME. YOU ARE A CHILD. PLEASE NO. Or at the very least be smart about it and keep it to yourself and away from where I can see it.

It makes me kinda really damn uncomfortable getting asks fishing for spicy things or obviously sexual/suggestive comments from users that are literally young enough to be my child. So like. Please. You're a minor. Remember that please. And for goodness sake be safe about shit. Cause being obvious about spicy interest can and WILL break the real nasty creepers your way. You DO NOT want to be involved with anyone online that is willing and ACTIVELY LOOKING to talk smut with someone under 18, my brother in christ, BE SMART about this.

Thursday Is Coming: What You Need To Know

As many of you know, tomorrow will be Thursday. Many people find themselves unprepared for Thursday and suffer the consequences. Here’s what you need to know to be safe:

Cockroaches are active on Thursdays.

A single month can contain well over 2 Thursdays.

Physicist Albert Rose died on a Thursday, as did several nuns and a poodle.

There are five times more car accidents on every Thursday than on 1/5 of any other weekday.

Wearing lipstick on a Thursday will almost always result in pigmentary encrustation of the procheilon tissue.

Many Thursdays are followed immediately by a resulting Friday.

Be safe this Thursday and remember that no matter what happens, no Thursday to date has lasted over 24 hours. For more information, please consult the Thursday Awareness hotline at 1627987185.

Why I'm never moving to America:

Listen.

EVERYBODY knows (or should) that you DO. NOT. STOP. in Vidor, Texas. 

It’s best to just run out of gas elsewhere. Whatever you do, black folks, DO NOT STOP IN VIDOR, TEXAS. 

There’s a good chance you’ll get lynched or just come up missing - and I’m not joking.

also do NOT stop in Harrison, Arkansas!!!! (relatively close to OK and MI) a nazi town with a BIG KKK organization.

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