# Off Topic > The Water Cooler >  >  Forum copy?

## romperstomper

Can anyone tell me why http://www.officeelectronicscomputersaccessories.com/ appears to be an exact copy of this forum?

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## xladept

Because it's an exact copy of this forum :Confused:

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## FDibbins

wow, it sure does seem a mirror.  How did you find that, its a pretty obscure name?

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## FDibbins

Interesting that it's threads were last updates today at 10:46 AM

I sure as heck am not going to log in there!

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## Doc.AElstein

> ........
> 
> I sure as heck am not going to log in there!



. Hi,

.  I do not have as much to lose as you guys, so I tried to log – in on this (“Pirate?”) site.
.  ( BTW. It does not come up by me as a direct copy initially. The text and windows are all a bit bigger and there are loads of extra ads...):





..................

.  So I attempted a normal Log - in (Up there using the Log - in Boxes at the top)
.  Here I am – no problem. 
.  I logged - in in the normal way.
.  The only difference from the “Real” site was that initially after logging – in I got this message.



.  But after that I appear to be “normally” logged – in and up until now everything is working OK. And it now does look at my end exactly like the original and all the extra ads are gone. So it looks as though I am normally here now and just went getting here in a roundabout sort of a way.
.

.  I thought it was worth me taking the risk. Because I thought it might give Romperstomper a way to finally get back into the Forum.

.  Would be ironic if this site is not “blocked” to him like the real one has been for ages….

. I will stay here logged in for a while.. and report back if anything strange happens.


Alan.

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## xladept

How could Rory start this thread if he was blocked from this site? :Confused:

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## romperstomper

I'm blocked at work by our Websense filters, which report this as a compromised site, but I was posting this from home.  :Wink:

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## TMS

Interestingly, you appear not to have to log in.  But, if you follow the links to a thread, like this one, you're logged in on what seems to be the live forum but with lots of Gamer ads.

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## Alf

> Because it's an exact copy of this forum



Yep it certainly is, even down to the fact that I still can't view any png uploads. Sight!

Got one "error" massage after logging in.

Is the IT dep testing something before moving the forum into a new "environment"?? 

Alf

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## Doc.AElstein

> Interestingly, you appear not to have to log in.  But, if you follow the links to a thread, like this one, you're logged in on what seems to be the live forum but with lots of Gamer ads.



.  I still have to log – in as usual to see Code in Code Tags or pictures like Alf’s “png” to show etc….

………  After I logged – in yesterday in this strange site (my Post # 5 ) , everything had been completely “normal” looking without any of those ads. As I mentioned in Post # 5 the ads disappeared after logging – in, as did the unusual initial opened up text format also shown in that post (along with some of the initial ads). 
.   At around 10.15am (10.15 am . our time Germany, Europe;  9.15  in England ;  New York 4.15a.m.; California 1.15a.m), Excel Forum was inaccessible for me on any computer or IP address for about 15 minutes. But now I am “back” here again logged in as before through the strange Copy Forum.. 
.  Everything looks completely normally formatted again with no ads…
……………………………………..






> …….
> Got one "error" massage after logging in.
> Alf



.  Hi Alf,
.         Your “png” and the shown error looks exactly the same as my .jpg screen shot pasted in Post #  5  which I pasted in as  IMG  .jpg link. Just out of interest, can you see that OK at your end. Looks OK on a few computers here. (I do not have to be logged in to see that .jpg as I have to in order see your “png”)
….
P.s. The error message is a bit modified if I go a bit further in the Copy site before logging in. For example if I come to this Thread then log – in, the error is a bit different:
Invalid Redirect URL (http://www.officeelectronicscomputer...orum-copy.html)
-	Clearly the Forum software is mainly complaining about officeelectronicscomputersaccessories.com
…………………………………….

….





> Is IT testing something before ……Do you think this is a new feature from the TT?......It's basic PR which EF Management .....consequently we all waste a lot of time wondering if it is 'just me' .
> ...maybe they're tinkering again ... the "TTT"
> ...



.  Please forgive my naivety, I am still very new here..  
*.  BUT* there seems to be a lot of second guessing about what the “IT TT TTT Tech Development Management Team” or similar people are or have done on various themes discussed here. Who are these seemingly (to me) a bit anonymous people?. I just did a very quick search..
Possibly these could be one?
http://www.excelforum.com/members/847188.html
http://www.excelforum.com/private.php?do=newpm&u=834522
. I think as such a junior member I am way out of place to contact them. Maybe one of you guys could contact one and ask him/her  to drop by at this or similar related "About the Forum Threads" and the Threads on  “png” problems which are a bit active just now?

.   Thanks again guys for all you Excel Work on this Forum. Hope the software problems get cleared up to stop hindering you all in your great work. And no criticism from me on the ““IT TT TTT Tech Development Management Team or similar people”. I am way out of place there. I am very grateful to the existence of this Forum and hope the Software Problems that I am sure are an annoying distraction to us all get cleared up

.  Alan

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## Doc.AElstein

FWIW.  Still Logged in here for almost 2 weeks. Nothing unusual happened yet......

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## Kyle123

Let me get this straight, you won't use chrome because you don't like the privacy, yet you're prepared to log into this site that's acting as a proxy so it can inject adverts and god knows what into the page as well as intercepting all your communication with the forum? 

Not only that, you don't know what they are doing with your details

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## Kyle123

If I were you, I'd sign out of that site, change my password here and anywhere else you happen to be using that password

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## Doc.AElstein

Ok. I tried to explain my reasoning for “sacrificing myself" for the good of  other users in post #5..
…. But maybe I should log out now.   But I get the feeling after the initial bit of rerouting one is “normally logged in??”
.  But maybe I have tried my luck enough on this one…..

….Logging out here..!!!!!!

Alan

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## Kyle123

Remember to change your password, on EF and anywhere else you happen to be using it

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## Doc.AElstein

> Remember to change your password, on EF and anywhere else you happen to be using it



Did it already straight after your Post #12
Here I am with new password in normal site
Alan
 :Wink:

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## Kyle123

Good stuff  :Smilie:

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## Doc.AElstein

> Good stuff



NewPasswordEFSnippingToolPlus.JPG

 :Wink:

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## Speshul

Pro tip:  Any time you try and log into anything, regardless of how legit it looks, use an intentionally wrong password first.  If it 'lets you in' or redirects you, it's a phishing site.  These spoof sites don't know what password is right or wrong, because they don't have access to the actual database that information is stored.  If it says "Bad password" click the reset password button and see if it sends an email to your email address - which is also on the database of the legit website.  If it's legit, you'll get an email with a link to reset (which you can ignore).

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## Doc.AElstein

> Pro tip:  ......



Thanks, good Tip.
I'll try that out sometime
Alan

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## Doc.AElstein

> Can anyone tell me why http://www.officeelectronicscomputersaccessories.com/ appears to be an exact copy of this forum?



..maybe it was a proxy web site  thing.....

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## xladept

Hi Doc,

That issue has come up before - the answer is because it is! :Smilie:

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## Doc.AElstein

Hi,




> ....
> That issue has come up before - the answer is because it is!



..or was ! ? ( I think it is gone now ? )

.  I did catch your original reply in Post #2, thanks for replying again. 
.  i did not really understand what you meant by "copy" originally, and as the Thread was discussed then further, -  I was not sure if you had meant anything specific. If you had time maybe you could explain / elaborate what you meant.
.  But it is really no big deal, I was just Lounging. .. I just mentioned it in passing as we had been discussing Proxy sites yesterday
http://www.excelforum.com/the-water-...tension-4.html
Kyles new extension and the proxy things were more interesting. ( If you are interested in pretty code colors, those threads are worth checking out ) I just thought possible security issues may have connected these two Threads. Speshul advice ( Post # 19 ) and Kyles and  Sixthsense in the Extension Thread seemed to indicate that. 

Thanks again
Alan  

P.s. Hope your recent computer problems are over. Do you think it was a Win 10 issue, or were other things confusing the issue. 
.  They are advertising Win 10 now in Germany on the Television. Although they do ne say exactly how to get it, the inference seems to be to buy it , or a new computer that has it. In the shops, most Win 10 Computers seem to be 64 Bit. I guess many people trying the free instillation may be using older 32bit machines. I am no computer profi but one still gets the impression the Free installation is only for a real Pro that can cope with possible (probable ! ) installation problems. But the German government warning is still the one that puts me most off.

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