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uSwitch Survey Predicts ‘Spamdemic’ Risk In UK

The research revealed that out of 16.9 million Internet connected PCs, 14.4 million receive spam mails on regular basis. The number of unsolicited mails received daily is 74 million.

The Spamhaus statistics in the report show that UK is at number 7 in the list of junk mail circulation, with US and China at the top.

The assimilation of spamming technique and virus technology has lead to the conversion of a large proportion of personal computers into spam engines. This means that a corrupt PC can be transformed into a spam mail engine, thereby, raising the concern of users. It also causes security violation.

Phishing is also a problem with total losses reaching £23.2 million in UK. phishing is the process of inviting a person to state his/her bank details by sending a bogus email. The recipient is asked to click on the given link in the mail. phishing is also a cause of concern.

Broadband expert at uSwitch.com, Chris Williams, who carried out the survey, said that despite a high number of spam mails received regularly, only 4% PC owners have equipped their systems with email filters. Also, around 10% owners open spam mails before erasing them, therefore, exposing themselves to bugs.

PCs are not the only ones that are facing threats from cyber-crooks. Unsought mails are costing around £1.3 billion annually to UK businesses. Williams said that spam mails are eating the world economy as the losses are reaching £13.5 billion. As per uSwitch, 2/5th of spams are related to pills or medication, while 10% contain adult content.

USwitch survey said that 160 phishing scams were reported in August 2005. These numbers grew by 800% reaching 1484 in August 2006. Losses due to phishing reached £23.2 million in 2005, costing us more than £63,000 everyday. This indicates the rise in attempted frauds to steal ID and the urgent requirement of computer protection by users.

» SPAMfighter News - 10/25/2006

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