Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Jbuffkin/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets



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These appear to be collaborating undisclosed paid editor throwaway accounts. Jbuffkin started a draft which Robsharp then edited and moved to mainspace. Request a CU to check whether they are operating other accounts. SmartSE (talk) 13:47, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Jbuffkin doesn't look like the first account either: Their first edit came from User:Lbloome/sandbox/rs that user has also edited User:Algernon64/sandbox/jq. SmartSE (talk) 13:59, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

Comments by other users
''Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.''

I've been following this trail independently -- I just discovered this SPI while leaving a WP:COI/N notice for a couple of the editors -- and have compiled my own list. A chart can be found at User:Calton/Watchlist with the connections, but the basic list of editors is:


 * 24 edits - last on 2017-02-17
 * 37 edits - last on 2017-02-17
 * User:Lbloome/sandbox/rs (Matthew Rabinowitz)
 * User:Lbloome/sandbox/sp (Gullands Solicitors - deleted as spam)
 * User:Lbloome/sandbox/pv (INTTRA)
 * User:Lbloome/sandbox/ps (Insurancewith)

--Calton | Talk 09:21, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
 * 60 edits - last on 2017-01-18
 * 12 edits - last on 2017-01-09
 * 15 edits - last on 2016-12-12
 * 44 edits - last on 2016-11-16
 * 66 edits - last on 2016-11-14
 * 52 edits - last on 2016-10-18 - may be an overenthusiastic SPA
 * 7 edits - last on 2016-10-07
 * 59 edits - last on 2015-04-30
 * 4 edits - last on 2015-09-23
 * 3 edits - last on 2015-11-09

Minor addendum
Let me throw in, who has a single point of intersection with one of the above, so I'm not as confident about this one. The editor has 295 edits, with the last edit on 2017-02-03. --Calton | Talk 13:39, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * - As per suspicious intersections, please check these overlapping accounts. Thanks, GABgab 15:59, 25 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Of the non-stale accounts the following are confirmed to each other:
 * is related to the group above.
 * is as far as the technical evidence is concerned and  is ❌ from a technical stand point.
 * As with most large-scale paid editing a technically unrelated finding does not preclude abuse as individuals can sign online contracts from the same clients/paid editing companies regardless of where they put their heads to rest at night. As is often the case for the technically unrelated and stale accounts.-- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots  23:50, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
 * - Please block the confirmed and likely accounts. I'll also throw in, with an edit on Tokyo Smoke with the same edit summary as Cintonia's. I have not fully evaluated the other two editors. This screams COI editing, though. Thanks very much, GABgab 00:50, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * GeneralizationsAreBad - ✅.  ~Oshwah~  (talk) (contribs)   00:52, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * As with most large-scale paid editing a technically unrelated finding does not preclude abuse as individuals can sign online contracts from the same clients/paid editing companies regardless of where they put their heads to rest at night. As is often the case for the technically unrelated and stale accounts.-- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots  23:50, 28 February 2017 (UTC)
 * - Please block the confirmed and likely accounts. I'll also throw in, with an edit on Tokyo Smoke with the same edit summary as Cintonia's. I have not fully evaluated the other two editors. This screams COI editing, though. Thanks very much, GABgab 00:50, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * GeneralizationsAreBad - ✅.  ~Oshwah~  (talk) (contribs)   00:52, 1 March 2017 (UTC)


 * And Cintonia, if you don't mind? Thanks, GABgab 00:55, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * GeneralizationsAreBad - Sure, ✅.


 * May I ask what the technical results are for Jbuffkin? Thanks, GABgab 02:21, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I have no clue how I managed to completely miss the master, but is extremely  to the Algernon64/Lbloome group and ✅ to the  account you requested be blocked. Could you also please check  and  for behavioural overlaps as they popped up more than once in my Jbuffkin check.  -- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots  16:41, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I've blocked Robsharp99 since it is abundantly clear their editing was coordinated with the master, even without technical evidence. SmartSE (talk) 17:30, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * - Please 3D-printed-ban-hammer.jpg Jbuffkin. I haven't yet checked the other two accounts. Thanks, GABgab 22:48, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * ✅ SmartSE (talk) 23:06, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I checked the other two accounts (F. Squid and RichardWats), and I really don't see any overlaps. GABgab 17:02, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Would also appreciate if an admin could clean up some of the promotional garbage these guys have created. Thanks again, GABgab 22:50, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Mess. I think I nuked everything I could allowed by policy. --Neil N  talk to me 04:51, 3 March 2017 (UTC)
 * While we're at it, Ccioffe is a blatant specimen of undisclosed paid editing, as per this, this, and especially this. Unsure whether some action ought to be taken against them, though. GABgab 16:21, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * The following accounts blocked under this SPI due to cross-over on Roivant Sciences. Behavioral evaluation needed to determine if this group is also connected to the main group identified at this SPI., , . ~ Rob 13 Talk 16:28, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Add to that pile, actually. ~ Rob 13 Talk 16:29, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * I think this group should be spun out into a different SPI - I was never sure what the behavioural evidence that linked these to the confirmed socks here and from off-wiki evidence, I'm 90 % certain who these accounts are operated by and it doesn't tally with the other editors modus operandi. SmartSE (talk) 16:37, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * GABgab 16:41, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * ✅, see Sockpuppet investigations/Iheartscience123. GABgab 16:47, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * Blocked due to crossover with  on William Hart McNichols. This one's a slam dunk, as they edited less than 30 minutes apart multiple times on that one page. ~ Rob 13 Talk 16:31, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * is behaviorally unrelated. He's created articles that clearly have no advertising potential, and he just happens to have been the created (over a year earlier) of a company article eventually picked up by this PR group. Not taking any action with respect to that account. The final two accounts above ( and ) are on the borderline, but I'm not taking action there. if they activate later we can get them then. ~ Rob 13 Talk 16:34, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * More suspects include:
 * - SPA on Ccioffe's Vivek Ramaswamy
 * - SPA on Vivek Ramaswamy and Roivant Sciences
 * - Username WP:DUCK on Novavax:.
 * and - Active around the same time at Novavax and Axovant Sciences. GABgab 16:54, 7 March 2017 (UTC)
 * All of the above are blocked. The latter four (from Gerald on) are blocked as socks of Iheartscience123. Any additional sockpuppetry discussion related to Iheartscience123 should be a new report in the correct SPI to keep it together. Please take care of a for-the-record report over there just noting the usernames and articles where cross-over occurred.  is blocked for a username violation with no determination of sockpuppetry made; the evidence is too scant there. ~ Rob 13 Talk 20:44, 7 March 2017 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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Caught Obiranp at sock creation Tokyo Smoke, using the same edit summary as a previous sock:. They also overlap on Draft:Zahroof Valves - which they created - with ZahroofM. Requesting CU due to time elapsed since last case, and because these people are known to use multiple socks at once. GABgab 21:39, 19 April 2017 (UTC)

Comments by other users
''Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.''

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * - Endorsing my own request. Thanks, GABgab 21:39, 19 April 2017 (UTC)
 * - Katietalk 12:54, 23 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Obiranp is ✅ to Lbloome from the archives. ZahroofM is ❌ to the group. Obiranp blocked and tagged. Katietalk 13:08, 23 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the check - I suspect ZahroofM may have been the client in this instance. Closing. GABgab 16:56, 23 April 2017 (UTC)