So I'm really impressed by how easy it is to sign up, yet there is no spam.
I set up a forum recently, which didn't even have any real posts before spam started showing up. I tried a bunch of annoying captchas, but none worked. Eventually I settled one that asks a customized question (eg "Are apples a fruit? Answer yes or no."), which has put a stop to the spam. But if possible, I'd like to get rid of it.
So! Any tips or tricks you're willing to share? You guys must obviously have some up your sleeve <img src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0" align="middle" />
The only option I can think of is to dig into the source and try to modify/customize it in a way that will break automated tools when they encounter something they don't recognize. But without knowing anything about the tools used, this sounds like it will be tricky and mostly trial & error.
Another suggestion I read was to block a specific time zone completely which is used by spam programs, but uninhibited by humans, but that didn't help.