New Personal Message Limits - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 05:57:47 am
content: Unfortunately another user has been scammed by personal message. This is getting way to common now.I have now set the limit to star ZeroPoster and Newbie accounts (<10 posts) cannot send PM's.Sorry if this inconcveniences some, but I can't let the forum become a hotbed for scammers. It's almost weekly now that we get a report of a scam attempt.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 09:14:39 am
content: Did you test it by creating a new account and trying to send a PM? I remember you said before that zeroposters should not be able to send PM's but still they did, the limit seemed to work the other way around and was keeping 'normal' users from replying to zeroposters.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 09:33:11 am
content: To answer my own question: as I suspected it doesn't work, I just got a PM from a zeroposterI could reply too but as I remember replying to zeroposters has a limit, after a few messages (1-2?) you get the message that the inbox of the zeroposter if full.Admins, please delete the PA0PBZ_test account!

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 09:41:52 am
content: I forgot to mention that I got a captcha and the 84/2 question before the zeroposter could send the PM, something I have never seen on my normal account. Is that maybe the limit you are setting?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 10:44:32 am
content: Quote from: PA0PBZ on September 30, 2024, 09:14:39 amI thought I found a setting that may have been preventing it working. But if zero posters can still post then something seems broken in SMF.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 10:49:12 am
content: Sure enough, I just tested it, zeroposters can still send messages.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2024, 11:08:32 am
content: I fixed it! Zero posters can no longer send messages.

author: KGY2023
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 03:04:54 pm
content: I was just searching why I couldn't send personal messages - thank you. I thought I was banned for some reason!

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 16, 2024, 03:55:45 am
content: Can you reveal how they were scammed? Would be interesting to know the scammers MO, since most people on here are pretty cluey.

author: masterpogo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 10, 2025, 01:01:58 am
content: So I have to write 10 posts to ask someone for help? This person wrote that I can only ask via PM

author: artag
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2025, 02:13:03 am
content: Doubtless they have their reasons but that's unusual. In fact, most forums ask that you communicate publicly in case your question or answer is of general interest. Asking for a personal reply to a public question is particularly frowned on, though I don't think that's what you're describing.So ij most cases you will be able to ask for help publicly.

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2025, 05:30:54 am
content: Unless it's something like sending license keys for hacking options in scopes etc.Some members like to keep the process to themselves to delay the patching of the process by manufacturers, which is fair enough.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2025, 06:42:43 am
content: I think 10 posts to be able to send PMs is perfectly reasonable.I had people contact me before in a PM to answer a generic question. This is the opposite of what a forum is meant for. If you got a question, post it for everyone to see and learn from. You can still @ users in a thread on the topic.As for finding license hacks for test equipment, It is best that this forum doesn't become famous for sharing those, since it could bring unwanted attention to this awesome resource of electronics knowledge.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2025, 09:50:25 pm
content: Rigol doesn't care, not sure why people keep thinking they do.Quote from: Berni on February 10, 2025, 06:42:43 amIts famous for that already.

author: lee82
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 04, 2025, 07:32:33 am
content: thank you.I was just searching why I couldn't send personal messages.

author: Farida
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 08:51:50 am
content: Thanks, I have been searching for an error in my profile, there was no indication that new users aren't allowed to send PMs.So I have to write 10 posts to ask a specific user for help via PM?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 09:53:50 am
content: Quote from: Farida on September 19, 2025, 08:51:50 amI think it's only 5 or something, the PM system is continually abused by new accounts.If you need help immediately, post publicly.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 09:58:43 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on November 16, 2024, 03:55:45 amThe scammers target people who have asked for a price or to buy something in a previous post. They send a PM with the likes of "I saw you are looking for XZY widget, I got one from Joe Blogs scammer at scammer@scammer.com contact him and he'll do a deal"They of course then pretend to be a legit fellow forum user, taking advantage of forum user trust and they take your money and don't ship anything.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 09:59:31 am
content: I think it's only one post so he should be good now.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 10:34:15 am
content: Quote from: Farida on September 19, 2025, 08:51:50 amWhy would you as a new member be asking a specific person for help?Apart from people you know well (i.e. you've been here a while), the only reason I can think of is in response to a post in the buy/sell section. And new members generally are going to have problems in that section because you have no established reputation. This rule is partly (primarily?) to thwart scammers in that section.Whether you are new here or not, you should be posting questions to the forum for anyone to answer not aimed at a specific user. If it is a question in regard to something someone has posted, then ask that question in public as well. If the other party wants to answer privately they can do that (assuming they are not also new), but more than likely others will be interested in the response.Just to be clear, contacting a member who doesn't know you via PM is generally considered pretty rude. Just like getting a junk phone call about your car insurance, or spam email from some random PCB company. Some here might not mind it for various reasons, but I know I have received PMs out of the blue from people asking a question which could just has effectively been answered by many others on the forum. Usually I will tell them exactly that.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2025, 08:21:26 pm
content: Quote from: Kean on September 19, 2025, 10:34:15 amNot rude to me at all, but everyone is different.