https://www.reddit.com/r/EncyclopaediaOfReddit/comments/110ndob/tshirt_posts/
created by EncyclopaediaBot on 12/02/2023 at 19:02 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 top-level comments (showing 0)
If you see a post about a T-Shirt in any way, it probably isn’t what it seems to be, especially if the picture is captioned “If you want this t-shirt, say yes in the Comments”[1] or similar. The likelihood of it being a Spambot is very, very high, especially when the immediate comments are asking where to buy it and another giving the link[2], as all three comments will be the same spambot using “sock puppet” accounts to look like three different Redditors.
2: https://i.redd.it/8yzqdwsnmtm91.jpg
Many mods are actively trying to prevent these posts[3] from reaching their subs in the first place, and others issue warnings to their members such as this one: Why you should not buy T-shirts/hoodies/mugs linked in comments[4]; or the very best “tshitt” warning ever[5], while one fandom sub has Automod comment this message on suspicious posts:
3: https://www.reddit.com/r/modguide/comments/ecggqp/combatting_tshirt_spam/
4: https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/comments/cl3el6/
5: https://www.reddit.com/r/skamtebord/comments/ttcwfv/psa_if_you_see_a_link_to_buy_a_tshitt_do_not/
*”Hi, it looks like this post may be about places to buy shirts or other merchandise. Recently there has been an uptick in scams regarding fandom specific T-Shirts and merchandise on reddit across a variety of subs. Bot accounts often in teams post an image and then have another account drop a link to a fake online store selling the item in the picture.“*
However, these posts still get through on many subreddits[6] and you need to be vigilant. If you see one, do not engage with it but use the “Report” option below the post or in the three-dots Hamburger Menu[7] as Spam --> Harmful Bots to alert the mods of that sub and move on. You could even report the accounts directly to the admins at https://www.reddit.com/report[8].
6: https://i.redd.it/4nrin8vn9sn91.jpg
7: https://i.redd.it/k732ju47qhw81.jpg
8: https://www.reddit.com/report
r/TheseFuckingAccounts is a subreddit that tracks and reports such bots, and they recommend also reporting these as Vote Manipulation which will help to sweep out all their accounts[9].
9: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheseFuckingAccounts/s/kIvkPdT6IQ
Reddit loves being meta, and to see a glorious example of it in action, look no further than this parody of a typical t-shirt spam post[10].
There's nothing here!
