Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/OvskMendov1/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets
The account is already blocked by User:Johnuniq for email spam, but has since confessed to being a sock of this globally-banned user and claimed to have a sockfarm. Let's find out whether that's the case with CU (i.e. sleeper check). Jasper Deng (talk) 08:54, 7 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Two more accounts added based on this comment by implicating them in the same spam.--Jasper Deng (talk) 09:08, 7 January 2024 (UTC)

Comments by other users

 * Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

See Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents for a report of similar activity by and. Johnuniq (talk) 09:11, 7 January 2024 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * Summary: Three accounts already blocked, appear to be part of the same email spam farm. Fourth account consistent with the others, but technical data doesn't permit a more specific finding.
 * Detailed findings: Proxy use makes it impossible to find certain answers here. A good reminder that p2p proxies should indeed be blocked. So, the CU data is consistent with these accounts all being controlled by the same person, but it is not possible to confirm this. Please note that I'm being very specific. The data is "consistent with", but that's all. I can say and  and  do indeed appear to be part of the Wikipedia Sucks email spam based on technical data, as noted by the above linked comment from El C, here. So, WP:SOCK or WP:MEAT. The technical data on Ovsk does not support that conclusion but does not refute it. The technical data is consistent with that account being controlled by the same person as the others, but simply used for commenting on admin noticeboard threads rather than email spam, but this is not the only possible explanation. I have no access to information about the claimed sockmaster, OvskMendov1, as that account does not exist on en.wiki. All of the accounts apart from Ovsk are already blocked. Due to the extensive use of proxies, I found no sleeper accounts. Ovsk should be evaluated based on behaviour and username rather than technical data. To the extent I'm permitted, I'm happy to clarify my findings. --Yamla (talk) 15:22, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
 * CU-blocked Ovsk for trying to gain access to other people's accounts, and per Open proxies. --Blablubbs (talk) 15:38, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Four accounts are already blocked. The fourth one (master) does not exist on English Wikipedia. Closing.  Vanjagenije  (talk)  18:06, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets

 * ( originally filed under this user)

I am being harassed by the named editor and their socks. They make no edits but each has sent me this email: "Hi,

I see that you have recently been blocked from Wikipedia.

I run a forum called Wikipedia Sucks! at the website https://wikipediasucks.co, which is free to join, and you can share your experiences as to why you were blocked, if you think it was unfair.

We know from experience that the vast majority of people who were blocked from Wikipedia were blocked for being critics of the way that Wikipedia works, as they hate criticism.

We would appreciate you sharing your story so that the world can know how bad Wikipedia really is.

Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you on Wikipedia Sucks!"

I have replied to each one on their talk page and explained that I have not been blocked recently and am not interested in helping them. I do not have a vendetta against Wikipedia or any editor, although an admin here is harassing me off-wiki for the legitimate activity of using my user space as a draft space for article creation. That is clearly allowed, but they don't like the topic so are harassing and stalking me. (They do this at a different wiki-hate site, Wikipediocracy, where I am not registered or participate, but I can see their nasty comments and accusations about me there. A kind soul here alerted me to their activities there. Other admins have encouraged me to take this to ArbCom, but I don't trust that process. I need other help that is not open to the public or the nasty admin. Private suggestions, by email, would be welcomed.)

I want these emails to stop. Some type of IP range block may be necessary. Is there a way to block new editors who are not yet autoconfirmed from misusing email? -- Valjean (talk) ( PING me ) 16:35, 11 January 2024 (UTC) Valjean (talk) ( PING me ) 16:35, 11 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Jo-Jo Eumerus, I would normally never include the email, but this is the only evidence I have, and it does not out or dox anyone. Feel free to abbreviate that mention. I would appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks. -- Valjean (talk) ( PING me ) 17:40, 11 January 2024 (UTC)
 * BTW, I am likely not the only one receiving these emails. -- Valjean (talk) ( PING me ) 17:42, 11 January 2024 (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
I am not sure that posting the email in public is OK per WP:EMAILABUSE I see that all these accounts have been globally locked by stewards and the Wikimedia Foundation, but apparently aren't linked to any known master/WMF-banned user. As for your question, I believe we can block individual accounts from sending email, but not non-autoconfirmed users in general. What could be done is to run a checkuser on the underlying accounts and see if they are on common range(s) with no legitimate user creation that we can block account creation from. So long way short, this seems like a reasonable case for CU. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 17:16, 11 January 2024 (UTC)
 * This is the Wikipedia Sucks email spammer, who we're currently calling OvskMendov1, so I'll merge this case there. CUs and others are very much aware of this, and are working on it, and that's about all I can say. Unfortunately a rangeblock isn't going to be possible here. P.S. I don't think posting the email is a privacy issue, since it's just spam (I double-checked with an OSer who agreed with me). Thanks, Spicy (talk) 19:44, 11 January 2024 (UTC)