Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Wicks Steve/Archive

;Suspected sockpuppets

• {{checkuser|1=Cubertast}}
• {{checkuser|1=Destiny Gerbil}}
• {{checkuser|1=Williesmonster}}

• [http://toolserver.org/~betacommand/cgi-bin/uc?uc=Wicks%20Steve User compare report] Auto-generated every hour.
• [http://tools.wmflabs.org/sigma/editorinteract.py Editor interaction utility]

{{user|Wicks Steve}} [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wasilla_High_School&diff=584983996&oldid=583455316 removed references] from the article Wasilla High School, justifying it [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3AWasilla_High_School&diff=584984252&oldid=513133483 here] on the talk page. I reverted the removal and explained my reversion on the talk page. Established editors {{user|John from Idegon}} and {{user|Arxiloxos}} agreed with my position.

New account {{user|Cubertast}} [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3AWasilla_High_School&diff=585740604&oldid=585663008 agreed] with Wicks Steve. The new account also made [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3AWilcox_Academy&diff=585740977&oldid=545227086 this edit] on Talk:Wilcox Academy, writing: {{quotation|1=Nice job {{U|Wicks Steve}} Cubertast (talk) 13:46, 12 December 2013 (UTC)}} The account has no other contributions other than those two edits.

New account {{user|Destiny Gerbil}} [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk%3AWasilla_High_School&diff=585751769&oldid=585740604 agreed] with Wicks Steve and Cubertast and made no other edits.

New account {{user|Williesmonster}} [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wasilla_High_School&diff=585952002&oldid=585663094 removed] the references.

A checkuser is requested to confirm that {{user|Wicks Steve}} is the sockmaster and to find other sockpuppets.

Cunard (talk) 12:42, 21 December 2013 (UTC)

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

• Blocked the three accounts as obvious socks/meats. Will await CU. I won't block the main account yet and will leave that to the SPI admins. Drmies (talk) 23:13, 21 December 2013 (UTC)
• {{confirmed}} that {{user|Cubertast}}, {{user|Destiny Gerbil}}, {{user|Williesmonster}} and {{user|Malevolent Turnip}} are the same. All four accounts belong to Wicks Steve. - Mailer Diablo 09:41, 22 December 2013 (UTC)
• All four socks tagged and blocked indef; master blocked 72 hours. Closing now. Mark Arsten (talk) 17:39, 22 December 2013 (UTC)

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;Suspected sockpuppets

• {{checkip|1=86.13.182.103}}
• {{checkip|1=95.39.221.187}}
• {{checkip|1=107.4.100.132}}
• {{checkip|1=190.74.245.151}}
• Wikipedia:Open proxy detection

• [http://toolserver.org/~betacommand/cgi-bin/uc?uc=Wicks%20Steve User compare report] Auto-generated every hour.
• [http://tools.wmflabs.org/sigma/editorinteract.py Editor interaction utility]

Wicks Steve left Wikipedia on December 30, and requested to change his username in [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Changing_username/Simple&diff=prev&oldid=588318647 this edit]. The IP then commented [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Changing_username/Simple&diff=prev&oldid=589418944 here] to the effect that the another Begoon was interfering in the process (even though they had only interacted three months before. The IP then started editing at a rather high pace and has continued since then. I suspect that this high pace is the result of an illegal bot or something, although it cannot be proven. Additionally, both the IP and the user have a rough edge to them, and both tend to edit on high school-related pages. There was also [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Wicks_Steve&diff=prev&oldid=572993349 this edit] by the IP on Wicks' talk page, which was immediately reverted, which also appears to be suspicious. Given Wicks' history of socking with user names, I figured this user might be a sock Kevin Rutherford (talk) 02:59, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

:User:86.13.182.103 has to be someone's sock. I suspect it may be the same editor as User:95.39.221.187, User:107.4.100.132 and User:190.74.245.151. --evrik ^(talk) 22:10, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

::There is reference to a recently deleted account on this IP's Talk Page, and it doesn't take much detection to find the list on Wicks Steve's User Page, of the IP addresses assigned when editing prior to the creation of that account. The request to change username is listed on here as part of the procedure prior to closing an account.
{{U|Begoon}} was instrumental in the closure of that account due to abusing his wiki privileges, right up until I was badgered into closing the account, much in the same way {{U|Evrik}} is doing now.
And now I am being accused of using "an illegal bot or something" when making legitimate edits, and of having "a rough edge to them", whatever that means. 86.13.182.103 (talk) 22:52, 13 January 2014 (UTC)

::Evrik has a point in that the IP's seem to be related, based on the fact they came out of nowhere to revert edits, although he could have been more polite in his accusations and approach overall. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 01:15, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

• Comment Yeah - it's actually not very hard to work out... See this revision: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Wicks_Steve&diff=588316839&oldid=588313051] which will show you Steve Wicks' history of arguments about flag icons. He's a very argumentative user, as you'll see from the history of my talk page, where he drones on about one incident where I left an edit summary he didn't like, repeatedly replacing the whining, first as Wicks, then as the IP: [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Begoon&diff=579953788&oldid=579946646], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Begoon&diff=580014474&oldid=579974495], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Begoon&diff=589077477&oldid=588593104], [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Begoon&diff=589112274&oldid=589105634]. evrik is probably right about the other IPs, he certainly does sock using IPs from various ISPs when he feels the need. The masses of 'flagcruft stuff' is obviously some kind of WP:POINT from the earlier incident.

:All that said, he's harmless enough - just a bit irritating if he decides to annoy you for a while, and seemingly unable to drop sticks over a long period. Generally goes to find someone else to play with eventually, if he doesn't get a satisfying response. Just ignore, is my advice. Garden variety 'Mr. Angry' - rather boring... Begoon ^talk 01:17, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

• And {{U|Begoon}} wonders why people think {{rpa}}.
  

:It would appear he has a particular talent for pissing people off with his snide remarks.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Begoon/Archive_11#Two_pints_of_water_per_cubic_foot_on_Mars.], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Begoon/Archive_11#flamebot.2C_power_on.21_:-.29], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Begoon/Archive_10#Thomas_Wakem_Caldwell.jpg], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Begoon/Archive_10#Bot_gone_wild],
and, with baited breath, I await another.
86.13.182.103 (talk) 10:36, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

• Well, editing while logged out isn't strictly forbidden, so we'd need to see evidence that the IP edits fall under WP:ILLEGIT (or are inherently disruptive) before taking action. Mark Arsten (talk) 21:32, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
• Account and IPs all blocked two weeks for personal attacks (on this page, oddly enough) and hounding while logged out. Closing now. Mark Arsten (talk) 20:12, 14 January 2014 (UTC)

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