How to stop scam links in your Discord server
Scam links ('free Nitro', 'is this you in this video?', fake Steam trades) are posted from accounts that have already been stolen, so they look like they come from a friend. One click can hand over a member's account. The good news: you can stop almost all of them before anyone sees them.
Why scam links spread so fast
Most scam links are posted by real members whose accounts were taken over, usually through an earlier scam link or a fake 'verification' bot. The stolen account then posts the same link in every server it's in. That's why the message often comes from someone your members trust.
Step 1: switch on Discord's own AutoMod
Discord has a built-in AutoMod that blocks some spam. Go to Server Settings → Safety Setup → AutoMod. Turn on 'Block spam content' and 'Block mention spam'. It's a good first layer, but it doesn't know about every new scam domain, and you can't easily choose a punishment for each rule.
Step 2: block links and invites from non-staff
The most reliable fix is simple: most servers don't need members posting links at all, or only from a few trusted websites. With Wisp:
- Open your server on the Wisp dashboard and go to Auto-moderation.
- Switch on Links, and add the sites you're happy with to Allowed websites (for example youtube.com, twitch.tv, tenor.com).
- Switch on Discord invites too, so nobody can advertise other servers.
- Set the action to Delete and warn or Delete and time out, and add your staff roles to Ignored roles.
Step 3: catch the spam wave
A stolen account usually posts the same message in several channels within seconds. Switch on Spam (for example 6 messages in 5 seconds) and Repeated messages with a time-out, so the account is stopped after its first few messages, and your mods get a log of what happened.
Step 4: tell your members
Post a short message in your announcements: nobody gives away free Nitro, never log in through a link someone sends you, and staff will never DM you asking for a code. Members who know the trick almost never fall for it.
If an account has already been stolen
- Time the member out so the account can't post more links.
- Delete the messages it posted (Wisp's /purge from: lets you delete only that person's recent messages).
- Tell the member through another channel: they should change their password, turn on two-factor authentication and log out of all devices in Discord's settings.
Wisp's Gaming server setup switches on everything in this guide, with good settings, and makes the channels it needs.
See the Gaming server setupQuestions
Does Discord stop scam links by itself?
Partly. Discord's AutoMod and link scanning catch some, but new scam domains appear every day. Blocking links from non-staff is the only approach that stops nearly all of them.
Will blocking links annoy my members?
Not if you allow the websites your community actually uses, like YouTube, Twitch and image sites, and let trusted roles post anything.