Folks, just a quick heads up: I’m in touch over Signal with Mahmoud from the “Help Mahmoud Family” accounts you might have seen contacting you.

Like you, I was hugely suspicious of them due to the many accounts and automated spam-like messages (I also reported and had one of them taken down as a scam).

It’s looking to me now like this was more of a misguided (and understandably, given the circumstances) desperate attempt to get help.

I ask that we keep an open mind and offer Mahmoud and his family the benefit of the doubt.

Here are the steps we’ll be taking with Mahmoud going forward to try and fix this and give him a proper introduction to Mastodon and the fediverse and hopefully rebuild trust:

1. Joy and I will meet Mahmoud for a video chat next week.

2. Once we’re happy, I will contact a friend who runs a Mastodon server to ask that Mahmoud is allowed to set up his one (and only Mastodon account there). This way, we will also know that the account will be safe in the future.

3. Mahmoud has already agreed not to use automated messages in the future.

I will update you about the state of things next week, after our video conversation.

mastodon.ar.al/@aral/115162189…

#Gaza #fediverse #Mastodon

Aral Balkan

2025-09-07 08:59:11

@rififi54 OK, I understand and I am, of course, willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.

The problem is that the behaviour of creating multiple accounts and sending automated messages is *exactly* the behaviour that scammers have been using in the past here. And a lot of trust has been lost because of it and it impacts every person from Gaza who has a Mastodon account and is trying to survive by using it. Including my friends on gaza-verified.org who I will do anything to protect.

Please get a Signal account and add me using my handle: aral.42

We can set up a time next week there when Joy and I can talk to you.

But, as I said, a lot of reputational damage has already happened so we will have to work hard to fix that as I do not want it negatively impacting Joy or the others.

I hope we can fix this and I hope that you and your family are safe.