Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Edvardd

Edvardd (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

  – A checkuser has completed a check on relevant users in this case, and it is now awaiting administration and close.

• Trim norwes (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Saliham (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Westmark123 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

This might be a long shot, but worth a go, I reckon:

A promo article on businessman Pini Althaus was created by Edvardd. This account was registered ten years ago, made a dozen edits to get autoconfirmed, and has since been dormant. They now wake up and create the Althaus article (two copies, the other is in their sandbox). So far this looks to me like UPE using one of their sleeper accounts.

The article was yesterday moved by NPP to drafts, on the basis of no notability. The author submitted it for review. But before a reviewer got there, another user Trim norwes moved it back to the main space, and removed all the AfC and maintenance tags. This user is ten days old, with ten dummy edits from when the account was registered, then nothing, and now a few edits to the Althaus piece. One wonders how they knew to do all that? I doubt this is a new user at all, and I think they're a sock or meat of Edvardd.

There's one more account, Saliham, also registered way back (2016), when they made three edits and went asleep. They woke up yesterday to make an odd post on their own talk page, 'welcoming' themselves (rather belatedly...) to Wikipedia. They then made a couple of comments on AfDs, before finding the Althaus article and commenting (!voting 'Keep', although it wasn't at AfD yet) on its talk page while it was still a draft. How did they find that draft?

I opened AfD on this earlier today. Edvardd and Saliham have already both come to defend the article (E. canvassed S. on the latter's talk page), I'm just waiting for Trim norwes to follow suit.

I think this is all a bit too convenient, and my spidey senses are tingling.

I'd like to ask for CU to confirm, and see if there are others lurking around. -- DoubleGrazing (talk) 14:21, 6 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm going to add Westmark123. They seem like another sleeper, who's just suddenly woken up to take part in the AfD. Very odd. -- DoubleGrazing (talk) 19:43, 12 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

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

• Edvardd and Westmark123 are   Confirmed by timeline. Trim has been locked as a sock of another. That leaves Saliham for behavioral assessment - I couldn't get there with this pair. Izno (talk) 20:07, 1 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]