Table of Contents

Sockpuppeting

For the purposes of OzBargain, it's posting a deal or commenting on a deal without declaring affiliation with the company. Otherwise, it's voting on a deal for a company you are affiliated with.

Some examples:

Doing any of the following not only is against our site rules but may violate The Competition and Consumer Act 2010.

What you can do

Reporting your suspicions is a good idea but as moderators have a multitude of sockpuppeting detection tools, it's best to leave the investigation to them rather than making public accusations. Please submit issues by either reporting the suspicious post/comment2) or by starting a topic in the Talk With A Moderator (TWAM) forum.

For those who get caught for sockpuppeting

If you are caught sockpuppeting, then you will be banned. The length of your ban (e.g. permanently or 1 month) depends on:

Whilst many users & stores have been permanently banned for sockpuppeting, some have come back. These companies have imposed a strict social media policy and have become valuable members of OzBargain.

Are you guilty of sockpuppeting? (Posts/Comments)

Are you….

have you….

If yes, its okay! All you need to do is declare your affiliation when posting a deal or making a comment.

Simply tick the 'I am associated with the store' check box when posting a deal or 'I am associated with Store Name check box when commenting on a deal for your store that you didn't post. You can also mention your affiliation at the bottom of the deal post; Example: “Disclosure: I worked here over the holidays” or “I am a employee at one of the stores”.

Are you guilty of sockpuppeting? (Voting)

have you….

If so, do not vote. Not only will your voting result in a ban on your account, it will also result in a ban for that store from posting on OzBargain in the future.

You will see a warning box upon your first deal vote. Example Vote Warning:

Accidentally not checking the rep box

Whilst we punish users for sockpuppeting, we understand that some reps may forget to check the rep box when posting. This may be due to a language barrier or simply forgetting to check the box. In cases where it's obvious that it is a rep posting, the moderators will check the rep box.

References

Wikipedia:Sockpuppeting

OzBargain: Sockpuppeting

1) A ghost account is a duplicate account. Multiple accounts held by the same individual or entity are not permitted without proper authorisation.
2) You can find a 'Report' link on the bottom of each post and comment.