There are a couple things you can do to prevent spam, but it is really hard to prevent spam nowadays. I don't think there is a way to get totally rid of spam but of course every step is a step in the right direction.
The most obvious is to connect the Contact Form 7 plugin with the Google recaptcha by navigating to this URL, register your website and get the API key. This key you can add via Contact -> Integration -> Configure Keys. After the captcha is integrated you can display it in the form editor with the following shortcode:
[recaptcha size:compact]
If you don't want to use the captcha from Google you can install the 'Really Simple CAPTCHA' plugin. This captcha can be added also with a shortcode in your forms. The easiest way is to edit a form and click the 'reCAPTCHA' button above the textarea.
Another thing you could do is install the 'Contact Form 7 Honeypot' plugin. You can use this plugin by adding a shortcode in your form, by clicking the 'honeypot' button above the textarea. This plugin will work on the background of the form and is not visible, and won't bother users who submit the form. It will create a hidden field, because real users don't see this field the message will go through. A spam bot will enter all fields and when the honepot field is entered the message doesn't come through.
The last step I recommend to take is to install the Email Address Encoder plugin. This plugin will encode any email address that have been added on your website in plain text. For example on the contact page at the 'Contact Details' box. Spam bots will scan through your site and will filter out email addresses in added as link or plain text.
I don't think the appointment form is causing the spam. The form is only visible after clicking one of the timeslot button to make an appointment. With an ajax call the form will be loaded and visible. As far as I know spam bots are only navigating through pages looking for forms which can easily be submitted.
Unfortunately there is no fixed path the follow to get rid of spam and once spam bots have retrieved your email address it is hard to eliminate it. The steps I provided in my previous message are good to start with.
I notice you described you have a lot of spam on 'user registration' maybe this article might help with some additional tips.
Hi Oliver,
There are a couple things you can do to prevent spam, but it is really hard to prevent spam nowadays. I don't think there is a way to get totally rid of spam but of course every step is a step in the right direction.
The most obvious is to connect the Contact Form 7 plugin with the Google recaptcha by navigating to this URL, register your website and get the API key. This key you can add via Contact -> Integration -> Configure Keys. After the captcha is integrated you can display it in the form editor with the following shortcode:
If you don't want to use the captcha from Google you can install the 'Really Simple CAPTCHA' plugin. This captcha can be added also with a shortcode in your forms. The easiest way is to edit a form and click the 'reCAPTCHA' button above the textarea.
Another thing you could do is install the 'Contact Form 7 Honeypot' plugin. You can use this plugin by adding a shortcode in your form, by clicking the 'honeypot' button above the textarea. This plugin will work on the background of the form and is not visible, and won't bother users who submit the form. It will create a hidden field, because real users don't see this field the message will go through. A spam bot will enter all fields and when the honepot field is entered the message doesn't come through.
The last step I recommend to take is to install the Email Address Encoder plugin. This plugin will encode any email address that have been added on your website in plain text. For example on the contact page at the 'Contact Details' box. Spam bots will scan through your site and will filter out email addresses in added as link or plain text.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Barry
QreativeThemes.com | WordPress Themes
Yes I use de recaptcha in the contact forms.
I will try this other solutions.
By the way, do you think this daily User registration Spam could be caused also by the Appointment / Reservation form?
Regards,
Hi Oliver,
I don't think the appointment form is causing the spam. The form is only visible after clicking one of the timeslot button to make an appointment. With an ajax call the form will be loaded and visible. As far as I know spam bots are only navigating through pages looking for forms which can easily be submitted.
Unfortunately there is no fixed path the follow to get rid of spam and once spam bots have retrieved your email address it is hard to eliminate it. The steps I provided in my previous message are good to start with.
I notice you described you have a lot of spam on 'user registration' maybe this article might help with some additional tips.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Barry
QreativeThemes.com | WordPress Themes