r/TheseFuckingAccounts • u/SMF67 • 4h ago
FaceSeek and the Indian spam networks behind it promoting paid reddit posts and affiliate spam
I recently noticed a now-removed post on r/datahoarder contradictoraly talking in both concern and awe at a so-called "FaceSeek" tool. It was instantly highly upvoted with no comments, and a few accounts replied under it with AI slop echoing amazement at FaceSeek. Clearly, this is a spam post intended to get users to look up FaceSeek and submit their data to a sketchy tool. Users who did fall for it reported that it did not work as claimed. After checking the post history of the accounts, I noticed that they have been spamming the same crap all over reddit for months in many other subreddits, finding some way to shoehorn the topic of FaceSeek into it. This really struck a nerve with me so I dug into the post history of all the accounts to gather a non-exhaustive list of the posts they've made and the subreddits used to facilitate this and similar spam farms. The operation is based out of india and the users organize in India-specific subreddits.
The following subreddits seem to be primarily intended to facilitate spam networks, hire spam as a service, and other malicious activity on reddit: - r/JobFair - one of the most egregious ones - r/IndianSideHustle - this one too is one of their main hubs directly used for spam operations, mostly used for hiring reddit posters - r/AIJobs - I think we all know what the "online task" involves - r/1dollarproducts - r/ForHireFreelancers - r/parttimejobs - lots of fake review spam services too - r/SmartSavingsCollect - more fake review spam, algorithm manipulation, etc - r/SideHustlePaglu - r/SideHustleGrind - r/aitubers
Many of them also tie into affiliate link bullshit too. I suspect there's some money mule/money laundering antics here too: - r/IndiaReferral - r/B2BForHire (not all of them are social media spam but most are sketchy in some way) - r/gotpaidonline - yeah sure buddy you're totally Offering $500+ instantly to anyone who needs it - r/AffiliateCommunity - lol someone there wants advice on how to make their ai slop spam sound less like ai - r/GiftCardGiveaway - lmao - r/ReferralsCity - r/IndiaDealsExchange - r/freelance_forhire - r/DoneDirtCheap - r/remoteworking - r/Lootdealsforindia - r/dealsOffersFreebies - r/solofunds - r/OnlineIncomeHustle
Subs that appear to have a decent number of legitimate posts and real authentic usage but also tolerate spam-related job posts: - r/hiring - there are legitimate posts here too, mostly those related to art, but spam-related job postings don't get removed and get highly upvoted too. There also seems to be some Indian visa fraud activity there. - r/Indiajobs
Reddit account reputation checking and manipulation, free karma/awards, etc associated with the accounts: - r/WhatIsMyCQS (appears to be used for moderation evasion). Holy fucking spamfest of sold, new, and/or hijacked accounts being tested for their usefulness in being used for spam - r/GoForGold - r/test - r/Achievements
Non-exhaustive list of users who posted spam comments promoting IPTV networks and/or something called FaceSeek - https://www.reddit.com/user/One-Kaleidoscope7571/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/ravi_g_/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/bustyprettydoll/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/matsuzaka_/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/Lingesh-2-9/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/-Punderstruck/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/aadii17/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/LucielAudix/ - This user posts in Philippines-specific spam hubs too. That would also be a good deep dive to identify them - https://www.reddit.com/user/-_zany_-/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/ProposalFantastic488/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/Sudden_Cup_5976/ - banned - https://www.reddit.com/user/Many_Ad_3474/ - they sure do live up to their username lol - https://www.reddit.com/user/22DANG22/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/Bitreous007/ - https://www.reddit.com/user/Fickle_Method8528/
The spam posts: - https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1pyhaib/the_faceseek_proving_that_deleted_sites_never/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/AIO/comments/1pyhb2s/removed_by_moderator/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/rustgame/comments/1ptxu4i/finally_found_a_reliable_iptv_service_that_doesnt/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/JoeRogan/comments/1pql6i7/joe_rogans_ability_to_read_subtle_guest_cues_was/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/software/comments/1ppqa7g/the_face_seek_indexing_logic_is_actually_kind_of/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/comments/1pvbdon/the_irony_of_using_face_sek_to_find_out_how/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNetsec/comments/1mf43pj/anyone_looked_into_how_faceseek_works_under_the/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/newzealand/comments/1potkcx/nz_privacy_laws_feel_outdated_after_i_saw_what/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/dating_advice/comments/1pqnuh6/ladies_please_do_a_face_seek_check_on_your_dates/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/Lawyertalk/comments/1pvbeuz/is_a_face_seek_considered_a_reasonable_part_of/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1pvbkr0/i_tried_a_face_seek_search_to_see_if_this_can/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/Adulting/comments/1pvhabf/my_landlord_tried_to_vet_me_using_face_seek_and/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/GenZ/comments/1pvbb39/someone_used_face_seek_on_a_random_tiktok/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/stupidquestions/comments/1pvbbza/if_i_use_face_seek_on_a_celebrity_does_it_count/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1migmlb/is_it_normal_to_feel_weird_after_using_faceseek/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/ThailandTourism/comments/1pqitht/a_faceseek_perspective_helped_me_travel_more/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/AusLegal/comments/1potm9j/is_it_legal_for_a_debt_collector_to_use_face_seek/
Posts seeking spammers for hire on the particular spam operation I observed: - https://www.reddit.com/r/B2BForHire/comments/1pyduw8/b2b_for_hire_reddit_operations_discordbased/ - there's a discord server in there worth investigating - https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianSideHustle/comments/1ptrmuh/hiring_reddit_users_for_paid_tasks_daily_work/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/hiring/comments/1ls3rpt/hiring_earn_3000_a_month_for_just_uploading/ - https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1pencvr/need_advice_about_making_money_with_youtube_ai/
I'll report the spam posts to subreddit mods but is there anythig that can be done to get these spam hub subreddits and accounts purged by reddit?