Imagine that while you are browsing a website, you suddenly receive a "You are a robot" message asking you to complete a verification. In this case, it means the website has detected some abnormal behavior and flagged it as robot activity. So, how can you avoid such false positives? Let's follow ToDetect for a detailed look!
Generally, when a website prompts you as a "robot" and requires verification, it may be due to certain actions you performed that triggered a false detection. Here are the most common reasons:
Using mismatched settings—for example, a mobile user agent on a desktop IP—can confuse detection logic.
Rapidly switching pages, accessing multiple resources simultaneously, or aggressively calling APIs can trigger alerts. A user visiting multiple pages in one second may look suspicious.
Privacy tools like proxies or VPNs route traffic through alternate servers, hiding your IP address. Robots use these to conceal their origin, so websites may block known proxy ranges or flag sudden geographic changes, such as jumping from New York to Singapore within minutes.
Sending hundreds of requests within a few seconds is a typical robot characteristic. Web scraping, price monitoring, or automated testing often exceed the website's frequency limits, triggering blocks.
By taking certain measures, you can prevent or handle blocks. Consider the following methods:
Data center proxies are easily flagged, but residential IPs linked to real ISPs mimic real users. Although they are more expensive, they are harder to detect.
Spread out requests, for example: one request every 3-10 seconds, keeping the request rate below the threshold, especially during scraping or testing.
Use real browsers or adjust headless browsers to include plugins, fonts, and canvas data to match human fingerprints.
The user-agent reveals your browser and device. A static user-agent signals a robot, so rotate them—imitating Chrome, Firefox, or mobile settings—to blend in.
The above shares insights on "Why does a website think I'm a robot? How to avoid being blocked?" and hopefully helps you. For more information about browser detection and robot detection, visit ToDetect's official website.