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The theme one of my sites is using does not have a comments form nor is there any HTML markup for comments anywhere within the code.

So, how am I receiving spam comments?

All the spam is caught by akismet and I can change the Discussion Settings so only registered and logged-in users can comment (and a few other settings) -- so the question is not "HOW to reduce spam" but how do spammers (bots or humans) submit spam without a form?

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  • On the comment listing page, can you see which posts are receiving spam comments and can you confirm that on those posts or pages, there is not comment form?
    – Christine Cooper ♦
    Nov 6, 2013 at 18:31
  • Also there are good Anti-Spam-Plugins available, I am using antispam bee
    – user9
    Nov 6, 2013 at 21:27
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    no forms anywhere. Please reread my question, am not asking "how to reduce/or stop spam" am simply wondering how they submit them
    – forlogos
    Nov 20, 2013 at 18:12

2 Answers 2

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You don't need a form to submit a comment to the wp-comments-post.php file, or to send a pingback or trackback. Spammers don't use forms, they simply send their spam directly.

Removing the form doesn't "turn off" comments. To do that, go to the Posts screen, and use the Quick Edit to actually disable comments and trackbacks for the various posts. Also visit the Settings->Discussion page, and set it to disable comments and trackbacks for new posts as well.

Once you do this, then the comments being sent directly will be rejected by WordPress. That will actually turn them off.

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    my question is "how do they submit spam" not "how to stop it". how do they send it directly?
    – forlogos
    Nov 20, 2013 at 18:08
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    They use a program to directly submit it to the normal WordPress submission methods. They're not typing in the spam by hand, they use scripts and programs to send it for them.
    – Otto
    Nov 20, 2013 at 20:18
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If you just want to know how they do it, one idea is these spammers mostly use scripts that bypass your comment form, and even if it is not there, the script directly access your site's wp-comments-post.php and write on it directly.

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  • Same as Otto's answer
    – forlogos
    Feb 10, 2016 at 12:57

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