How to Stop Annoying YouTube Bots From Spamming Everyone
Bots and spam comments are nothing new on YouTube, but lately the site has been flooded with fake accounts trying to trick viewers into commenting on their favorite channels. These fraudulent accounts use the same name and profile picture as the YouTube channel they use and the bots try to trick other users into thinking they have won a special prize by inviting them to click on a link or contact them via private messages or text messages. messaging app like whatsapp or telegram.
Many users recognize these scams immediately, but bots often target videos and posts in communities that host sweepstakes and other contests, and some users may fall for the bait. After all, the reason there are so many bot accounts is because these tricks work , albeit not very often.
Let’s hope YouTube takes action against these scammers, but so far their response to content creators has been to simply use comment moderation tools already available. Unfortunately, these options are either too limited to effectively stop spam, or too limited and may affect the participation of the channel community.
Luckily, YouTuber ThioJoe has created an open source tool called YouTube Spammer Purge that helps YouTubers remove those annoying comments from their videos in bulk:
While this tool is useful for content creators, it doesn’t do much for users. If these bots annoy you, you can refrain from commenting to avoid spam responses, but again: community engagement is part of YouTube’s appeal.
We hope YouTube takes stronger action against fake copycat accounts and spambots so they don’t bother everyone, but for now, users should be aware of this issue. Here are some clear signs of bot comments:
- Bad grammar or uncharacteristic wording
- Claims for special prizes or other benefits
- Requests to contact them on WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or other third party messaging services.
- Weird links (don’t click on them!)
Also, if you are commenting on a video to enter an official channel giveaway or contest, please pay attention to the rules. If a YouTube channel says they will announce the winners in a video or community post, then that random similar account with the comments “you win” and “contact whatsapp to claim your prize” is fake. And if these comments appear randomly on an unrelated video, they are definitely fake.
If you ever doubt that an account is legitimate, just check the channel page to make sure it’s actually a real person.
If the account is fake, go to the “About” tab, click the “Mark” icon in the “Statistics” section, select “Report User” and fill out the form. If a channel is impersonating another YouTuber, let them know and hopefully they can also report the account and/or block them from commenting using YouTube Studio’s comment moderation tools.