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Tag: anti spam

GiveWP Forms – Spam Protection for WordPress
CleanTalk added spam protection for GiveWP Forms using direct form integration. So in case, you prefer using GiveWP Forms be sure to use the most effective Anti-Spam plugin. Read the guide below and learn steps to protect your GiveWP Forms from spam.

Download CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin | Download GiveWP Forms

Install GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform

To have the plugin installed follow this steps,
1. Search for the plugin in,
WordPress console -> Plugins -> Add plugin -> Search -> givewp.
1. Install and Activate the plugin.
1. Add a campaign and forms in,
WordPress console -> GiveWP -> Campaigns -> Forms

That’s all! GiveWP is installed.

How to install CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin

To install the Anti-Spam plugin, go to your WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Add New.

Then enter «СleanTalk» in the search box and click the Install button for «Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk».

After installing the plugin, click the «Activate»‎ button.

After it is done go to the plugin settings and click the «Get Access Key Automatically» button. Then just click the «Save Settings»‎ button.

That’s it! From now you How to completely protect your GiveWP Forms from spam.

How to check spam protection for GiveWP Forms

You can test the work of Anti-Spam protection for GiveWP by using a test email,

stop_email@example.com
1. First, open the form in an Incognito browser tab.
2. Choose amount to donate.
3. In the next step fill out the account name data and the stop_email@example.com.
4. You must see a message as below and in the screenshot.
*** Forbidden. Fraud prevention. Sender blacklisted. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. ***

In addition, in the Cloud Dashboard you can find extra details regarding all submissions for the donation form,
- IP, Email of the donator. As well as history of activity a sender among other sites connected to CleanTalk’s cloud.
- Geolocation of the sender.
- Date and time of submission.
- Page (URL) of the submission.
- Cloud decision – Approved, Denied.
- Cloud explanation for the decision.
- Tools to move the sender to Block or Allow lists.
The Dashboard and Anti-Spam log is here https://cleantalk.org/my/show_requests

If you have any questions, add a comment in form down below and we will be happy to help you.

Create your CleanTalk account – Register now and protect your GiveWP Forms from spam in 5 minutes

Discover the complete list of CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin features here.
January 29, 2026
Our Client’s Review: BRNDTIME

We’re happy to share feedback from one of our valued clients — Christophe Thielens, founder of BRNDTIME.

At CleanTalk, we truly appreciate hearing how our anti-spam solution helps agencies and businesses keep their websites clean, fast, and user-friendly. Reviews like this motivate our team to continue improving our technology and delivering invisible, reliable protection against spam.

About BRNDTIME

BRNDTIME is a digital marketing agency based in Belgium, focused on helping SMEs and independent professionals grow their online presence.
The agency specializes in building high-performance WordPress websites, SEO, online advertising, branding, content creation, and email marketing — always with a strong emphasis on usability, performance, and measurable results.

Client feedback

Christophe shared his experience with CleanTalk both on WordPress.org and on the BRNDTIME website:

“Very good plugin — works very well for my agency.
No captchas, no false positives, no slowdowns.
A solid and trustworthy plugin.”

BRNDTIME – Digital marketing bureau 01 29 2026 03 19 PM

Using CleanTalk Anti-Spam, BRNDTIME protects WordPress websites from spam submissions without affecting visitor experience. The absence of CAPTCHAs, combined with accurate filtering and no performance impact, allows the agency to focus on building and marketing websites — not cleaning up spam.

We’d like to thank Christophe Thielens and the BRNDTIME team for trusting CleanTalk to protect their projects and for sharing their honest feedback with the WordPress community.

🔗 Client website: https://brndtime.be/

🔗 WordPress.org review: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/very-good-plugin-works-very-wel-for-my-agencie/

🔗 BRNDTIME article about CleanTalk:
https://brndtime.be/2026/01/27/cleantalk-anti-spam-plugins-spamvrije-wordpress-website/

January 29, 2026
How Spam Activity Changes Over Time — and Why It’s Not Related to License Expiration

From time to time, website owners report a sudden increase in spam activity and try to link it to plugin settings, hosting, or license status.
However, these assumptions often overlook how dynamic spam behavior truly is.
To illustrate this, I conducted a small study analyzing spam distribution over time using data from several of our WordPress sites.

First, I’ll look at data for three of our WordPress sites, which host our themed blogs. The statistics are for the year.

1. Our blog, ClanTalk Anti-Spam and Security https://blog.cleantalk.org/

The screenshot shows the statistics for the year.
As you can see from the graph, the number of spam attacks isn’t linear, but fluctuates from month to month. Only since August has there been any stability, and the number of spam attacks has been more or less consistent.

All time 10 979 spam blocked 10 21 2025 11 17 AM

2. Our blog, research.cleantalk.org

The graph shows an increase in spam attacks at the beginning of the year, followed by a decline to almost zero. However, in May, there is a peak in spam attacks, followed by a sharp decline. Subsequently, there is a slight increase in spam attacks.

All time 6 567 spam blocked 10 21 2025 11 30 AM

3. Our blog, blog.doboard.com

The blog was launched recently, and from the very beginning, it was clear that the number of spam attacks was high, but after some time, there was a decrease.

All time 195 spam blocked 10 21 2025 11 29 AM

4. Personal WordPress Test Site

The following graph shows statistics for my personal WordPress site, which I use for testing.
The graph shows a steady increase, peaking in May and then declining.

All time 19 510 spam blocked 10 21 2025 11 19 AM

What Does This Tell Us?

Based on this data, I can draw the following conclusions:
the number of spam attacks does not show any trend, other than a possible seasonal factor.

The number of spam attacks may not be linear from month to month or even from day to day. At some points, there may be more, at others, fewer. A low-traffic site like my test site can receive a much higher number of spam attacks than a site with more traffic, a larger number of articles, and a higher search engine ranking.

What I did next?

Now let’s talk about how a user can evaluate the difference between the amount of spam a client sees while using an anti-spam service and when the license expires.

First, as you can see on our new site, the number of spam attacks increases as it gets added to spam lists.

Second, when a client installs the CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin, we have the SpamFireWall option. This option blocks spammers before they reach the site.

CleanTalk Anti Spam Dashboard 10 21 2025 11 20 AM

As you can see from this table, we currently receive 12-14 spam attacks per day. These requests can be found, for example, in the spam folder on their site. On average, there were 57 spam attacks per week, and SpamFireWall (SFW) blocked another 350.

Then, I disabled SFW, and the number of spam attacks reaching the website form immediately increased to 120 on average. So, we see that when using SFW, 50% of spam attacks reach the website and forms, and the remaining spam attacks were stopped by SFW and simply didn’t reach the website.

Therefore, when assessing the amount of spam, we must also take into account the portion of SFW traffic that simply didn’t reach the website forms. You can track statistics for your sites in the Trends section of the ClanTalk Dashboard.

To summarize

The number of spam attacks is not constant and can be higher or lower. Also, when using SFW, you only see a portion of the spam reaching the forms on your website. Having or not having a CleanTalk license doesn’t affect the number of spam attacks.

October 22, 2025
Client Review: Climate Change Dispatch

We are happy to share feedback from one of our clients — Thomas, the owner of climatechangedispatch.com

Great support, even better spam killer

I was using Akismet for WordPress for years until I found Cleantalk. I got an email from Automaticc, which owns Akismet and Jetpack, stating that because I had some ads on my site, I had to pay a ridiculous amount of money. They gave me 30 days. I switched to Cleantalk as it was cheaper, and the difference was amazing.
Not only did it catch spam, but the personal blacklists are a timesaver. No more hits or misses from imprecise wording in the Discussion settings. And the support is absolutely superb. The few times I’ve needed them, they were prompt and fantastic. The firewall and bot-crawler features are also a timesaver. Did you know that auto-bots crawl your site and slow it down? I’m talking spammy bots looking for email addies. This plugin stops them. And also prevents spam after spam from getting through via rate limiting. Try it out, and I swear you will rarely, if ever, have to get rid of spam manually. It’s that good!

We thank Thomas for his detailed feedback and trust in CleanTalk.
It’s always a pleasure to hear that our service helps clients protect their websites and save time.

September 11, 2025
Our Client’s Review: DIYB.CA

We love sharing feedback from our users — and today’s story comes from Paul at DIYB.CA, originally posted on WordPress.org.

CliUnbelievably Happy!

I have lost track of how many spam blockers & techniques I’ve tried on client sites to ensure real leads make it to their inbox — but nothing has come close to CleanTalk! We use FluentForms, and when they recommended CleanTalk, it turned out to be a perfect match. Clear reports show what’s been blocked and what’s allowed. Easy to install, works flawlessly — and most importantly, my clients are happy. That makes it a winning product in my eyes.

Thanks, Paul — and welcome to the CleanTalk club!

🔗 Learn more about how CleanTalk works with FluentForms

July 23, 2025
CleanTalk Anti-Spam Added Direct Integration for WPZOOM Forms Plugin
We are glad to announce that CleanTalk Anti-Spam now offers direct integration for the WPZOOM Forms plugin, providing effortless and effective spam protection for WordPress users.

What’s New?

Starting from the latest version 6.60 for WordPress, CleanTalk Anti-Spam automatically protects WPZOOM Forms from spam submissions without the need for additional setup. The integration is designed to work out of the box and silently block spam bots before they even reach your inbox.

How It Works

CleanTalk uses its cloud-based spam detection service to analyze form submissions in real time. When a visitor submits a form via WPZOOM Forms, CleanTalk checks the request for spam activity. If the submission is deemed suspicious or spammy, it is blocked immediately — all without using CAPTCHA or annoying puzzles.

Key Benefits
- Advanced email validation — CleanTalk checks if the email address is real, disposable, or blacklisted
- Spam bot behavior analysis — Detects bots by analyzing how the form is filled out (JavaScript, time of submission, etc.)
- IP reputation check — Every submission is checked against CleanTalk’s global spammer IP database
- No CAPTCHA required — Invisible protection for a better user experience
- Fast and lightweight — Does not affect form or page speed
- Automatic logging — Every blocked or allowed request is logged in your CleanTalk dashboard
How to Enable Anti-Spam protction for WPZOOM Form

Install the Anti-Spam plugin
CleanTalk Anti-Spam for WordPress is a powerful plugin that blocks spam silently in the background. It also has direct integration with WPZOOM Forms, and here’s how to set it up:

Go to your WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Add New.
In the search box, type “CleanTalk” and click Install on the result
called “Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk”.

Search Results for “cleantalk” WordPress org 07 22 2025 05 17 PM

After installation, click the “Activate” button.
Then go to the plugin settings and click “Get Access Key Automatically” to activate protection.

That’s it! CleanTalk will now start protecting all WPZOOM Forms on your website without any extra setup.

How to Test Spam Protection of Your WPZOOM Forms

Use this simple test to confirm that CleanTalk is active:
- First, open a WPZOOM form on your site in an Incognito/Private browser tab
- Enter this test email: stop_email@example.com
- Submit the form
wpzoom anti-spam protction

You’ll see a message that the submission was blocked.
That means the Anti-Spam plugin is now actively protecting your WPZOOM Forms from spam!

wpzoom spam block

Enjoy the clean results!

🔔 Important: You must test in Incognito mode because logged-in administrators are not blocked by default.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment — we’ll be happy to help.

Protect your WPZOOM Forms from spam in minutes — with no extra setup and no CAPTCHA headaches.
CleanTalk continues to expand its compatibility with popular WordPress plugins to keep your site clean, secure, and user-friendly.

🔗 Learn more about CleanTalk Anti-Spam here: https://cleantalk.org/help
July 18, 2025
Stop Fake Emails: CleanTalk’s New Non-Existent Email Notification
Spammers often use fake email addresses to hide their identities and avoid consequences for their actions. This can lead to a deluge of spam comments, registrations, and other unwanted activity on your website. To combat this, CleanTalk Anti-Spam has always had a powerful feature: Non-Existent Email Notification. But now, this feature has evolved to a new form—to be useful not only for site owners but also for site visitors!

Now, if the email you’ve entered into a form is somehow non-existent (for example, you made a typo in it), you’ll see it right away. No confusion, no hassles, no pain!

How it Works:

When a user submits a form (such as a comment or registration form) on your website, CleanTalk’s system instantly checks the validity of the provided email address. If the email address is found to be non-existent or invalid, the user will receive an immediate notification.

An email is existent.

An email is non-existent.

Benefits:
- Real-time feedback: This provides immediate alerts as you type, highlighting potential errors or typos in your email address.
- Simple visual cues: Clear indicators like checkmarks or warning icons can quickly show whether an email address is valid or invalid.
Experience the Difference

By implementing CleanTalk’s Non-Existent Email Notification feature, you can significantly enhance the usability of your website while minimizing the impact of spam, and a new aspect of this feature provides even more comfort for your visitors!
December 28, 2024
Bots and Your Website: How Much of Your Traffic is Fake?
Not all your website traffic is genuine. Hidden within your analytics are bots – automated programs that can mimic human behavior. Think of them like little robots that visit your website and pretend to be people. While some bots are harmless (like the ones that help Google find your site), others can cause trouble. They can clog up your contact forms with spam, create fake accounts, and even place phony orders. Those fake traffic bots are like a bunch of party crashers at your online store who aren’t there to buy anything, just to cause a mess!

Just how big is this problem?

Well, studies show that up to 30% of all web traffic might actually be bots! That means almost one in three “visitors” to your site might not be a real person. And when it comes to contact forms, things get even worse. Experts say that up to 40% of all form submissions could be spam generated by bots. That’s a lot of wasted time and effort dealing with junk! Even registrations and orders can be affected, with estimates suggesting that 10% of new accounts and 5% of online orders could be fake.

Why should you care?

These sneaky bots can cause a lot of headaches for businesses. They can:
- Waste your time: Dealing with spam messages and fake accounts takes time and effort away from real customers.
- Mess up your data: Bots can make your website statistics unreliable, making it harder to understand how real people are using your site.
- Hurt your reputation: If your contact form is full of spam, it makes your business look unprofessional.
- Cost you money: Fake orders can lead to financial losses and logistical nightmares.
So, what can you do about it?

Imagine having a super-smart bouncer for your website, someone who can spot fake traffic bots before they even get through the door. That’s what CleanTalk Anti-Spam and Security plugins do! They’re like a 24/7 security team dedicated to keeping your website safe and clean.

Here’s how CleanTalk helps protect your forms and keeps spam away:
- CleanTalk is a pro at protecting all kinds of forms on your website, from contact forms to registration forms and even order forms. It checks every submission to make sure it’s from a real person, not a spam bot trying to cause trouble.
- CleanTalk can even help you get rid of spam that’s already on your website. It can scan your comments and other content to find and remove those spam links that bots leave behind.
CleanTalk is like having a dedicated team of experts protecting your website, making sure your forms are safe, your content is clean, and those pesky bots are kept far, far away
October 30, 2024
XenForo 2 spam protection has been strengthened by the Bot Detector feature

The Bot Detector technology identifies spam bots more accurately, greatly enhancing spam bot protection for your XenForo 2 website. The feature is enabled by default starting from version 3.0.1, so the only thing you need to do is update the Anti-Spam plugin following the instructions.

October 7, 2024
Wufoo Spam Protection for WordPress in 5 minutes
CleanTalk added spam protection for Wufoo Forms using direct form integration. So in case, you prefer using this type of forms be sure to use the most effective Anti-Spam plugin. Read the guide below and learn 4 steps to protect all your contact forms from spam.

Once the CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin is installed it starts to protect all of the existing forms on your WordPress website. It may not only be Wufoo Forms but also many others.

Download CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin | Download Wufoo Forms

How to install CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin

To install the Anti-Spam plugin, go to your WordPress admin panel → Plugins → Add New.

Then enter «CleanTalk» in the search box and click the Install button for «Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk».

After installing the plugin, click the «Activate»‎ button.

After it is done go to the plugin settings and click the «Get Access Key Automatically» button. Then just click the «Save Settings»‎ button.

That’s it! From now you How to completely protect your Contact Forms from spam.

How to check Wufoo Forms Spam Protection

You can test the work of Anti-Spam protection for your Contact Forms by using a test email s @ cleantalk.org (without spaces). First, open the form in an Incognito browser tab. Fill in all the required form fields and send a form. After submitting the form, you will see a block message about the block on the form submission.

If you have any questions, add a comment and we will be happy to help you.

Create your CleanTalk account – Register now and protect your Contact Forms from spam in 5 minutes

Update

The protection works only for website visitors, not for website admins. Be sure to test the form protection using Incognito mode.

Additional features
- CleanTalk protects all forms at once: comments, registrations, feedbacks, contacts, reviews.
- Installation takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Smart 99% protection against spambots.
- Always online – 24/7 technical support.
- Logs, SpamFireWall, personal lists, country filters, stop-words, and many others.
Discover the complete list of CleanTalk Anti-Spam plugin features here.
September 19, 2024