Website blocking software (not what you're thinking)?

[Hoop]

My mother called me up and asked me about this the other day, apparently my father has been going on these weird multi-thousand-dollar spending sprees on the internet and it has to stop. Other than going into the router and locking out websites what can I do to keep him from searching for and buying stuff compulsively? I would love a piece of software that can lock out keyword searches but all the stuff I'm finding online seems tailored to block porn, not auction websites etc.

[Bainter1212]

Pull the plug on the computer. Seriously. Disconnect the internet service until he agrees to get help.

[Hoop]

Well my mother manages their internet and phone service so she could definitely do that. I don't know what to do about everything he's bought though, hopefully most of it can be auctioned off for some of what he spent. I may have to get other relatives involved though since he will fight and kick/scream to keep this stuff.

[pterrell]

Is he having a midlife crisis or something? You can block sites like Ebay from the router but you need to actively add those sites or search for a common list to add to the block list. Alternatively, you can block all but an "authorized usage" list.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[vintagearms]

Cancel his credit cards and atm cards

[Hoop]

I don't know if it's a mid life crisis. It's certainly not rational, he'll be fine for weeks/months on end and then *poof* he's running down to Los Angeles to buy a bunch of machinery. He won't use it either, he'll just park the trailer with stuff on it and tarp it off and forget about it.

[ocabj]

Cancel his credit cards and atm cards

Pretty much.

Then get him some counseling.

[ldsnet]

Any Parental controls application can handle this. Cancel his credit cards and fraud alert the accounts so he can't use them would be the best way - prevents spending from the phone or other computer too.

[diveRN]

I don't want to add gas to your fire, but please consider that sporadic compulsive behavior can be an early sign of certain kinds of dementia and even Alzheimer's. Get him checked by an MD knowledgeable in such things.

Don't just treat the symptoms because they can manifest themselves in other ways.

[CAguy]

I really don't think there is much you can do. He is a grown man and its his money/credit cards that he is using. Don't really think that you can legally do anything unless you have power of attorney.

He is a free American and has rights despite all the comments suggesting the contrary. He is not your child and you really can't do much in the end except talk with him and your mother.

Imagine if some wife came on here and said my husband is buying too much guns/ammo and I want to cut off his internet and cancel his credits cards! The suggestions would be quite different I suspect.

[billofrights]

I really don't think there is much you can do. He is a grown man and its his money/credit cards that he is using. Don't really think that you can legally do anything unless you have power of attorney.

He is a free American and has rights despite all the comments suggesting the contrary. He is not your child and you really can't do much in the end except talk with him and your mother.

Imagine if some wife came on here and said my husband is buying too much guns/ammo and I want to cut off his internet and cancel his credits cards! The suggestions would be quite different I suspect.

That's a valid point, but he isn't buying things he really wants, he's just hoarding stuff and letting it sit. That isn't normal. I second the vote to have him checked out by his doctor.

[Hoop]

Imagine if some wife came on here and said my husband is buying too much guns/ammo and I want to cut off his internet and cancel his credits cards! The suggestions would be quite different I suspect.

That's not how it is. He's literally gone from owning 4 houses to having one that he may lose in 6 months. He'll drive to another state with a broken foot to buy a planer but he won't go to the doctor. It's cluster****.

[Epaphroditus]

procon latte is a brower add-in that can block lots of things if basic parental controls dont work good enough.

There are router tools that also do blocking. Blacklist amazon, ebay and craig list, etc but where there is a will there is a way (one both sides of the issue).

You can also white list a very small select set of web sites to drastically limit access.

Adblock plus is good to stop ads from popping up which might be present on your white list sites.

[j-shot]

As an immediate, free "fix" go into the router and shutdown port 443.

This will pretty much put an end to any online spending (for all users of the pc) while leaving the vast majority of the internet accessible with few exceptions.

Good luck!!

My mother called me up and asked me about this the other day, apparently my father has been going on these weird multi-thousand-dollar spending sprees on the internet and it has to stop. Other than going into the router and locking out websites what can I do to keep him from searching for and buying stuff compulsively? I would love a piece of software that can lock out keyword searches but all the stuff I'm finding online seems tailored to block porn, not auction websites etc.

[Californio]

This is very good advice.

I don't want to add gas to your fire, but please consider that sporadic compulsive behavior can be an early sign of certain kinds of dementia and even Alzheimer's. Get him checked by an MD knowledgeable in such things.

Don't just treat the symptoms because they can manifest themselves in other ways.