How I Blocked 18,000 Spam Lead Attacks in My WordPress Form

Not long ago, I discovered that over 18,000 spam submissions had inundated one of my lead generation forms in a single night.

And they kept on coming, which was quite concerning. Sending emails to all those fake addresses would have raised my email bounce rate – the ratio of undelivered emails to intended recipients.

A soaring bounce rate can harm my sender reputation with email providers, causing genuine emails to legitimate subscribers to land in spam folders.

Therefore, I immediately investigated the situation. I created this lead form several years back without any updates, and this oversight was jeopardising my entire email marketing strategy.

Fortunately, I managed to halt the onslaught in roughly 10 minutes.

Here’s precisely what I did.

My Quick Fix for the Lead Spam Problem!

How can you secure a lead generation form in just 10 minutes… without complicating the signup process for genuine users?

Most individuals resort to using CAPTCHA to fend off spam. However, in the context of lead generation forms, CAPTCHA can deter real visitors and prevent them from joining your mailing list.

I didn’t want to go down that route.

I sought a way to make our signup form user-friendly for authentic individuals while creating barriers for spammers. My aim was to find a more effective solution to thwart fake submissions that operates behind the scenes without inconveniencing genuine members.

Luckily, WPForms‘s anti-spam features came to the rescue and effectively resolved the issue.

Here’s how I rectified the situation while ensuring legitimate leads continued flowing in.

Step 1: Activate Modern Anti-Spam Protection

The first step I took was to activate the modern anti-spam protection setting.

This tool functions quietly in the background to identify and block spam bots, making it so that genuine users remain unaware of its presence.

Plus, it doesn’t require any additional effort from them.

This simple action can deliver immediate results.

To enable it, edit your form in the WPForms builder.

Navigate to Settings » Spam Protection and Security.

Then, simply toggle the switch to enable the ‘modern anti-spam protection’ feature. It’s that straightforward.

This adjustment instantly blocked a significant number of automated POST attempts.

Step 2: Implement Rate Limiting & Block

After activating the modern anti-spam, I decided to bolster the security with an extra layer of protection.

Spammers continuously devise new methods to target forms, typically by submitting numerous entries from a single IP address or email domain. Their objective is to inundate your site with an avalanche of fake submissions as quickly as possible.

Allowing this could result in many falsified entries flooding in within hours.

Rate limiting effectively halts this form of exploitation. By restricting the number of submissions allowed from the same IP or email address, you can prevent these repetitive spam attempts while still accommodating legitimate users.

To enable it, go to Settings » Form Locker in the WPForms form builder.

Next, toggle the switch next to the ‘Enable User Entry Limit’ option found under Entry Limits & Restrictions.

You can impose limits by email, IP, or both. Following this, specify how many submissions you want to permit from each IP address and determine what message to display to users who exceed this threshold.

However, some advanced spam bots may circumvent basic protections by employing various email addresses and IPs. This makes straightforward rate limiting insufficient.

To tackle these smarter tactics, I needed a more nuanced approach to identify unusual patterns and block dubious entries promptly.

That’s where I leveraged the conditional logic feature in WPForms.

Step 3: Employ Conditional Logic to Safeguard Your CRM

It’s vital to ensure that these clever spam submissions are kept away from your CRM and email marketing lists. Not only are poor leads a hassle, but they can also distort your data, lead to increased spam reports, and harm your email deliverability.

The good news is that WPForms allows you to apply conditional logic with your marketing integrations. This feature enables you to create specific rules so only verified, high-quality leads enter your CRM.

For instance, I implemented a rule that excluded any submissions featuring common spam indicators, such as dubious keywords or links. If a form entry seemed questionable, it was automatically filtered out from my CRM.

To replicate this in your form, navigate to Marketing » [Your CRM Name].

Then, activate ‘Conditional Logic’ and input a rule.

For example, you might include ‘Don’t Process this connection if the email field ends with .ru.’

This final measure effectively dismantled the spam assault on my form.

Overall, it took me about 10 minutes to apply all these adjustments.

Concluding Thoughts on Form Spam

Confronting this barrage of spam was undeniably stressful, yet it underscored the necessity of safeguarding your forms. Security has evolved from being a mere feature to a fundamental requirement for any business that relies on reputable leads.

If you appreciate high-quality leads, you cannot afford to let spam obstruct your efforts.

I’m immensely proud of the initiatives the WPForms team is undertaking. I utilise the tools we develop daily to empower our enterprises, and this week, WPForms genuinely saved the day.

Here are some of the exciting features they’ve recently introduced:

• Form Entry Automation – Set automated schedules to export and remove form entries.
• Google Drive Integration – Automatically transmit form submissions to Google Drive and organise files in shared folders.
• AI-Powered Calculations – This allows for the creation of intricate calculations expressed in simple English. It can generate dynamic formulas based on user inputs and validate them in real-time.

For further information, check out our complete WPForms review.

I hope my experience aids you in securing your own website. Spending a few minutes to review your forms today can prevent a significant headache down the line.

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Frequently Asked Questions regarding WordPress Form Spam (FAQ)

After sharing this on LinkedIn, several followers reached out with additional inquiries.

Here are my responses to those questions.

Is it necessary to utilize all these WPForms features to combat spam?

In many cases, merely enabling the modern anti-spam protection is sufficient for most websites. However, if you’re under a considerable attack like I was, employing multiple protective layers, such as rate limiting, is highly effective.

Will these anti-spam features impact my site’s performance?

All of these features are designed to be lightweight, adding security without compromising your site speed or user experience.

Is implementing a CAPTCHA advisable?

While a CAPTCHA can be effective, it introduces friction for users and may reduce your form conversion rates. I always suggest using it as a last resort after exploring invisible alternatives first.

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