Alix Brown's Gallery Of Things

I'd like some advice on what to do about a sudden swarm of scam accounts that have been mentioning me: Normally, there's only one or two of any kind of scam account showing up at a time, but today, I started getting ones that show up in threes or fours at once. The screenshots below showcase the two incidents I've had with them, with the second one being the most recent (as of writing this).

Each of them line up with the type of account verification scam mentioned in this post -: https://www.tumblr.com/scam-alerts/819420589093748736/i-got-tagged-by-this-user-telling-me-suspicious?source=share, and I followed your instructions in hopes of getting rid of them.

More of these bots arrived about two hours after I reported the first batch of them to Tumblr, and I have some suspicions that you may be able to help me with: Given that they came back after I reported them and operate in bigger groups than normal, is it possible that whoever (or whatever) is behind these accounts is employing a flooding tactic to deter reporting, make reporters look like bots, or clog up the Tumblr report system? Or is this just a uncoordinated selection of spam accounts that are targeting the same people at the same time?

Thanks in advance for any and all guidance you can give, and keep up the good work!

Hi there!

I've noticed an influx of these bots as well, especially today, I think they're big mad that staff figured out how to track down their posts easier when they're being made, and so now they've amped up their efforts to mass produce their scam to try and get someone, anyone to fall for it.

I'm keeping track of these blogs myself and as of 30 seconds ago a fresh new wave has just went out... It's frustrating that scammers have stooped this low for a quick buck, but all I can suggest to people is to keep calm, and report the blogs making the scam posts rather than the ones spamming users via comments.

Just remember to breath, and if you ever have doubts, take a few seconds to do some research.

Also stop and think for a second,

The website on this phishing tumblr page is not 'tumblr dot com,' so that right there is your first red flag. Second, you didn't sign in, so it's 100% NOT linked to your account. So.. how is it unique to you/fixing your account if other users are being @ spammed with it? It just asks you to click 'verify' then to pay money... (it's actually worse than that btw)

Remember (sorry for making this big btw):

You never paid to sign up and use [tumblr], and you will never have to pay for anything in relation to an account issue. The only thing you, a user, will ever have to pay for, is something you choose to buy from their official TumblrMart store.

That's it.

[tumblr] will not ask you to pay to verify your account. [tumblr] will not ask you to pay to fix an account issue. [tumblr] will not ask you for your social security number. [tumblr] will not ask you to mail a check to a UK address.

[tumblr] staff does not use whatsapp, discord, or any other platform to talk to users about account issues or to 'fix' account issues. Anyone who posts, or messages you telling you to contact a staff member via any method outside of tumblr dot com or their official email accounts, is 100% going to scam you.

Especially if they tell you to change your email or password.

I'm working on updating the verify your account scam exam(ination) post as we speak. <3

Thank you for letting me know about this, hopefully staff get this issue to calm down sooner rather than later. :(

Hey Tumblr, your security is super important to us. In light of a recent surge in scams, we want to make sure you have all the tools and knowledge to keep your account safe:

Verify the source: If someone claiming to be from Tumblr Support reaches out, always check the sender's email address. Official Tumblr communication will come from tumblr.com or tumblr.zendesk.com domains, and Tumblr will never contact you via another platform.

Don’t click suspicious links: Check the destination of a URL before clicking, and look for anything that doesn't seem right, such as a misspelled website name. 

Recognize phishing: Phishing messages or emails often try to create a sense of urgency ("Your account will be suspended if you don't click here now!"). They might also contain grammatical errors or poor formatting. 

Never share your password: Tumblr staff will never ask you for your password. If anyone asks for your password, it's a scam.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security. Even if someone gets your password, they can't access your account without the second verification step. You can enable 2FA in your account settings.

For more on avoiding scams and keeping your account safe, check out the Help Center. 

Proboscis Bat Rhynchonycteris naso

It is found from southern Mexico to Belize, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil, as well as in Trinidad. The bats are nocturnal, sleeping during the day in an unusual formation: most of them line up, one after another, on a branch or wooden beam, nose to tail, in a straight row.

In the photo, the two bats on the lower left are carrying young.

From the article:

Available HERE

1. The court holds Google responsible for statements made by its AI, considering them Google's statements (search engines have limited liability for results in their engine as they're the words of other sites/companies/people), meaning when their AI lies/hallucinates they're liable for the defamation/harm resulting from those statements.

2. Google's defense that customers are generally aware of the lack of reliability and are responsible for fact checking was dismissed. As the court pointed out, that would "significantly diminish" AI Search's stated purpose and it can't be distinguished from Google's business practices/statements as a search tool.

3. Studies have found about 91% of Google's everyday AI responses are accurate, leaving millions of searches per HOUR with potential liability for falsehoods. 56% of correct responses weren't supported by the sources the AI listed. Both of which mean Google is now liable for a LOT more AI "errors."

4. Google was held liable for 80% of court costs in this case and this precedent is expected to reverberate around the world. This is a massive shift from the 3rd-party search provider role Google has previously played and it comes right as they've tied ALL searches to their AI search.

For all the reasons above AND ALSO because this particular lawsuit is a defamation case

Privacy lawsuits are hard because most privacy laws are super super weak, and there's very rarely a lot of money or enforcement backing privacy laws for...twenty million reasons, really...

But defamation suits? Those have teeth.

(In large part because, at least in some countries and including in the US, defamation laws protect public figures the least - and "public figures" legally includes most if not all politicians, and a hell of a lot of other rich ppl too)

A German court has ruled that Google can be held directly liable for false claims made by its AI Overviews, a decision that could put a serious legal dent in the whole “the AI made me do it” defense. According to The Next Web, the Regional Court of Munich issued a temporary injunction after Google’s AI Overviews wrongly tied two Munich publishers to scams, subscription traps, and dubious business practices. The court treated those AI-generated summaries as Google’s own statements, not just ordinary search results pointing to third-party pages. That distinction matters. Search engines have traditionally had more protection because they index and link to other people’s content. AI Overviews changes the machinery. Google is not just showing the web anymore. It is summarizing it, rewriting it, and sometimes apparently hallucinating a tiny legal grenade into the results page.

It's a yellow bittern! They are very creechur.