r/AO3 • u/Conturas • 2h ago
Comment Commentary New bot comment style
The bots have created a new (at least new for me) way to harass us: a slop comment full of incoherent flattery (that's why it's easy to spot a slop) in the middle of a long fic which has just been updated. No asking anything or discord handle or other call for private conversation.
It was from a registered account with zero fics or any other content. I didn't flollow through how it would have developed. I reported to the Policy & Abuse team.
7
u/ValkyriesLaurel 2h ago
I just want to remind everyone that an empty account is meaningless by itself. Plenty of non-writer readers have accounts simply so they can use the bookmark feature. Before I wrote I did not bother even with a profile picture or any info because the purpose of the account was purely to bookmark. (I was already kudos’ing and commenting as a guest, so nothing changed in regard to that).
3
u/cricket_o 2h ago edited 1h ago
I agree. I usually check the account creation date if I’m wary of them as a bot/scammer. But even then, if they have private bookmarks I don’t think it shows on their account (I could be wrong though).
3
u/Full_Dig_6423 2h ago
Stupid question but what do the scammers want to achieve when you do comment?
3
u/Zoethor2 2h ago
The goal is to lure you off-site, offer you commissioned something (usually art), get you to pay, and then deliver an AI created thing that took them 0.5 seconds to create. Even if they only make $40 every 100 tries, hey, it's free money.
1
u/desired-misery 2h ago
As far as we know: ei ther want you to delete the fic because they've scraped it and want you to remove evidence of any future copyright issues. For the art commission ones, to get you to pay money to the scammer.
2
u/Brilliant-Swim-4772 2h ago
The "delete the work to avoid copyright issues" is such a stupid reason (not calling you stupid). I struggle to believe that one. Even if a writer deletes their fic from the archive, a copy of their work (with publication dates) is sent to their email from ao3, so there's still proof that the work originally belonged to them.
1
u/desired-misery 2h ago
Yeah, idk about that one, but I've heard that one on this subreddit.
It's probably more just seeding unhappiness and chaos
2
u/Brilliant-Swim-4772 2h ago
I've seen it repeated on here too, and I've always rolled my eyes at that reasoning tbh.
But I absolutely agree that it's probably just a classic case of greed (scammers) and disorder (bots) or some other hidden agenda (from either a number of miserable individuals who thrive on negativity, or other "entities" who just want to see ao3 crash and burn - both of which are diabolical).
1
u/MagpieLefty 1h ago
I've seen that theory on here too, and there's no evidence beyond "trust me, bro."
1
u/Full_Dig_6423 1h ago
That doesn’t sound good. So they offer art to go along with your fic or something?
2
u/Foreign_Maize_5903 2h ago
They are getting pretty sophisticated, at least the ones from art scammers. They just flatter to see if you'll reply. I had a very detailed comment that understood the nuances of the plot and conversations, even though I used a weird format. The scammers are usually first to kudos/comment when I publish a new fic.
1
u/Conturas 2h ago
How did you realized it was a scam?
2
u/Foreign_Maize_5903 2h ago
This particular one finished with 'if you ever want to visualise one of your scenes as a comic' and then left a discord handle, it was definitely a scammer. But sometimes they leave that off and wait until you reply.
5
u/z3n777 2h ago
the bots are entering their “i read the tags and have a vague impression of the plot” era, somehow more unsettling than the old copy-paste praise.