Jbuffkin ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)

17 February 2017

Suspected sockpuppets

• Robsharp99 ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Lbloome ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Algernon64 ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)
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These appear to be collaborating undisclosed paid editor throwaway accounts. Jbuffkin started a draft which Robsharp then edited [1] and moved to mainspace [2]. Request a CU to check whether they are operating other accounts. SmartSE ( talk) 13:47, 17 February 2017 (UTC) reply

Jbuffkin doesn't look like the first account either: Their first edit came from User:Lbloome/sandbox/rs that user has also edited User:Algernon64/sandbox/jq [3]. SmartSE ( talk) 13:59, 17 February 2017 (UTC) reply

Comments by other users

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

I've been following this trail independently -- I just discovered this SPI while leaving a WP:COI/N notice for a couple of the editors -- and have compiled my own list. A chart can be found at User:Calton/Watchlist#Group_4 with the connections, but the basic list of editors is:

• Cintonia ( talk · contribs) 24 edits - last on 2017-02-17
• Lbloome ( talk · contribs) 37 edits - last on 2017-02-17

• User:Lbloome/sandbox/rs ( Matthew Rabinowitz)
• User:Lbloome/sandbox/sp ( Gullands Solicitors - deleted as spam)
• User:Lbloome/sandbox/pv (INTTRA)
• User:Lbloome/sandbox/ps (Insurancewith)

• Algernon64 ( talk · contribs) 60 edits - last on 2017-01-18
• Robsharp99 ( talk · contribs) 12 edits - last on 2017-01-09
• Jbuffkin ( talk · contribs) 15 edits - last on 2016-12-12
• Ccioffe ( talk · contribs) 44 edits - last on 2016-11-16
• Iheartscience123 ( talk · contribs) 66 edits - last on 2016-11-14
• Nicelion727 ( talk · contribs) 52 edits - last on 2016-10-18 - may be an overenthusiastic SPA
• Biotech786 ( talk · contribs) 7 edits - last on 2016-10-07
• Lrp2012 ( talk · contribs) 59 edits - last on 2015-04-30
• JRLisk ( talk · contribs) 4 edits - last on 2015-09-23
• Jackie Julie ( talk · contribs) 3 edits - last on 2015-11-09

-- Calton | Talk 09:21, 18 February 2017 (UTC) reply

Minor addendum

Let me throw in ArchitectureNerd ( talk · contribs), who has a single point of intersection with one of the above, so I'm not as confident about this one. The editor has 295 edits, with the last edit on 2017-02-03. -- Calton | Talk 13:39, 19 February 2017 (UTC) reply

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

•  Clerk endorsed - As per suspicious intersections, please check these overlapping accounts. Thanks, GAB ^gab 15:59, 25 February 2017 (UTC) reply
• Of the non-stale accounts the following are confirmed to each other:

  Lbloome ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)

  Algernon64 ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)

  Doricas ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)

• Cintonia ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki) is  Likely related to the group above.
• Robsharp99 is  Unlikely as far as the technical evidence is concerned and Ccioffe is  Unrelated from a technical stand point.
• As with most large-scale paid editing a technically unrelated finding does not preclude abuse as individuals can sign online contracts from the same clients/paid editing companies regardless of where they put their heads to rest at night. As is often the case  Behavioural evidence needs evaluation for the technically unrelated and stale accounts.-- Jezebel's Ponyo ^{bons mots} 23:50, 28 February 2017 (UTC) reply
•  Awaiting administrative action - Please block the confirmed and likely accounts. I'll also throw in Choatos ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki), with an on Tokyo Smoke with the same edit summary as Cintonia's. I have not fully evaluated the other two editors. This screams COI editing, though. Thanks very much, GAB ^gab 00:50, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply

GeneralizationsAreBad -  Done. ~Oshwah~ ^{(talk) (contribs)} 00:52, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply

• @ Oshwah: And Cintonia, if you don't mind? Thanks, GAB ^gab 00:55, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply

GeneralizationsAreBad - Sure,  Done.

• @ Ponyo: May I ask what the technical results are for Jbuffkin? Thanks, GAB ^gab 02:21, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply
• @ GeneralizationsAreBad: I have no clue how I managed to completely miss the master, but Jbuffkin is extremely  Likely to the Algernon64/Lbloome group and  Confirmed to the Choatos account you requested be blocked. Could you also please check F. Squid and RichardWats for behavioural overlaps as they popped up more than once in my Jbuffkin check. -- Jezebel's Ponyo ^{bons mots} 16:41, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply
• I've blocked Robsharp99 since it is abundantly clear their editing was coordinated with the master, even without technical evidence. SmartSE ( talk) 17:30, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply
•  Awaiting administrative action - Please Jbuffkin. I haven't yet checked the other two accounts. Thanks, GAB ^gab 22:48, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply
  •  Done SmartSE ( talk) 23:06, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply
    • @ Ponyo: I checked the other two accounts (F. Squid and RichardWats), and I really don't see any overlaps. GAB ^gab 17:02, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
•  Clerk note: Would also appreciate if an admin could clean up some of the promotional garbage these guys have created. Thanks again, GAB ^gab 22:50, 1 March 2017 (UTC) reply
  • Mess. I think I nuked everything I could allowed by policy. -- NeilN ^{talk to me} 04:51, 3 March 2017 (UTC) reply
•  Clerk note: @ BU Rob13: While we're at it, Ccioffe is a blatant specimen of undisclosed paid editing, as per this, this, and especially this. Unsure whether some action ought to be taken against them, though. GAB ^gab 16:21, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
  • @ GeneralizationsAreBad: The following accounts blocked under this SPI due to cross-over on Roivant Sciences. Behavioral evaluation needed to determine if this group is also connected to the main group identified at this SPI. Sciencewriter182, Ccioffe, Iheartscience123. ~ Rob₁₃ ^Talk 16:28, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
    • Add Biotech786 to that pile, actually. ~ Rob₁₃ ^Talk 16:29, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
      • @ BU Rob13 and GeneralizationsAreBad: I think this group should be spun out into a different SPI - I was never sure what the behavioural evidence that linked these to the confirmed socks here and from off-wiki evidence, I'm 90 % certain who these accounts are operated by and it doesn't tally with the other editors modus operandi. SmartSE ( talk) 16:37, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
        • @ Smartse and BU Rob13:  Doing... GAB ^gab 16:41, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
          •  Done, see Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Iheartscience123. GAB ^gab 16:47, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
• Blocked Nicelion727 due to crossover with Algernon64 on William Hart McNichols. This one's a slam dunk, as they edited less than 30 minutes apart multiple times on that one page. ~ Rob₁₃ ^Talk 16:31, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
• Lrp2012 is behaviorally unrelated. He's created articles that clearly have no advertising potential, and he just happens to have been the created (over a year earlier) of a company article eventually picked up by this PR group. Not taking any action with respect to that account. The final two accounts above ( JRLisk and Jackie Julie) are on the borderline, but I'm not taking action there. if they activate later we can get them then. ~ Rob₁₃ ^Talk 16:34, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
•  Clerk note: @ Smartse and BU Rob13: More suspects include:
• PD Soros ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki) - SPA on Ccioffe's Vivek Ramaswamy
• Gerald.mnookin ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki) - SPA on Vivek Ramaswamy and Roivant Sciences
• Ilovescience1994 ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki) - Username WP:DUCK on Novavax: [4].
• Greenleaf1985 ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki) and Cruiser43! ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki) - Active around the same time at Novavax and Axovant Sciences. GAB ^gab 16:54, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply
  • All of the above are blocked. The latter four (from Gerald on) are blocked as socks of Iheartscience123. Any additional sockpuppetry discussion related to Iheartscience123 should be a new report in the correct SPI to keep it together. @ GeneralizationsAreBad: Please take care of a for-the-record report over there just noting the usernames and articles where cross-over occurred. PD Soros is blocked for a username violation with no determination of sockpuppetry made; the evidence is too scant there. ~ Rob₁₃ ^Talk 20:44, 7 March 2017 (UTC) reply

19 April 2017

Suspected sockpuppets

• Obiranp ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• ZahroofM ( talk ⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser( log) · investigate · cuwiki)
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Caught Obiranp at sock creation Tokyo Smoke, using the same edit summary as a previous sock: [5] [6]. They also overlap on Draft:Zahroof Valves - which they created - with ZahroofM. Requesting CU due to time elapsed since last case, and because these people are known to use multiple socks at once. GAB ^gab 21:39, 19 April 2017 (UTC) reply

Comments by other users

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

•  Clerk endorsed - Endorsing my own request. Thanks, GAB ^gab 21:39, 19 April 2017 (UTC) reply
•  In progress - Katie ^talk 12:54, 23 April 2017 (UTC) reply
• Obiranp is  Confirmed to Lbloome from the archives. ZahroofM is  Unrelated to the group. Obiranp blocked and tagged. Katie ^talk 13:08, 23 April 2017 (UTC) reply
• Thanks for the check - I suspect ZahroofM may have been the client in this instance. Closing. GAB ^gab 16:56, 23 April 2017 (UTC) reply