18 May 2011

Spam Attacks Bombard Brits’ Gadgets

Brits have to deal with 111 million spam attacks every day, according to latest statistics.

Brits have to deal with 111 million spam attacks every day, according to latest statistics.

The increasing use and dependence on the internet sought through devices such as computers and laptops, and other applications like mobile phones is causing this increase in unsolicited spam.

The research by uSwitch shows Brits are bombarded by spam emails and text messages on a daily basis, amounting to 3.4 billion a month.

The number of spam emails internet users receive per day is 30 percent higher than that received in 2007, at 107 million. While an average of four million unwanted texts are received daily by mobile phone users, a 300 percent increase in four years.

"Spam is the great bug-bear of the internet age,” commented Ernest Doku, uSwitch technology expert.

"Unfortunately, as we've become more dependent on our internet connections, so spam has spiralled to epidemic proportions.”

The study also reveals 83 percent of households who have internet access receive spam and over 26 percent are hassled with at least 10 unwanted emails a day.

Worryingly, one in five homes claims these problems have led to viruses on their computer after receiving spam emails.

Handling Spam Emails

The research highlights while 83 percent who receive spam delete it straight away without opening it, seven percent actually open these emails before deleting them, and one percent have unknowingly responded to them – possibly aggravating the viruses as a result.

Four million web users are still failing to protect their home computer from a spam attack despite most internet providers now offering spam filters as part of their package.

The spread of spam has been controlled in European countries such as France, Germany and Italy, while the number of known issues in the UK has more than doubled since 2007.

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