Britain’s ‘Spamdemic’ – the deluge of unsolicited ‘spam’ messages – is spreading, according to new research from independent price comparison and switching service uSwitch.com. In total British consumers are being bombarded with 111 million unsolicited and potentially harmful email and text messages on a daily basis or a staggering 3.4 billion every month – despite Bill Gates’ famous prediction that spam would be a thing of the past by 2006.
According to the survey, internet users now receive a staggering 107 million spam emails every day – a 30% rise since 2007. But more worrying is the unprecedented surge in unsolicited text messages. Brits are being infected with four million unwanted texts a day – a 300% explosion in just four years.
8 out of 10 households (83%) with internet access receive spam and over a quarter (26%) are hassled with at least 10 unwanted emails every day. 1 in 5 homes (18%) claim that they have experienced problems such as viruses with their computer after receiving a spam email. But, according to the report, this could be down to the way in which unwanted emails are handled. While 83% of those receiving spam will delete any unrecognised emails straightaway without opening them, 7% actually open their emails before deleting them and an unknowing 1% have at some stage responded to them. Both these actions have potentially far-reaching consequences, confirming to the spammer that the email address is live and has inadequate or ineffective spam filters.
Despite most internet providers now offering spam filters as part of their package, four million web users are still failing to protect their home computer from a spam attack. This may help explain why the UK now ranks 4th in the league table for the world’s worst Spam Haven countries. While European counterparts such as France, Germany and Italy have managed to contain the spread of spam, the number of known issues in the UK has more than doubled from 184 to 383 since 2007.
The 10 Worst Countries for Sending Spam :
| Rank | Country | Number of Current Known Spam Issues |
| 1 | United States | 2334 |
| 2 | China | 905 |
| 3 | Russian Federation | 567 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 383 |
| 5 | Japan | 265 |
| 6 | Brazil | 258 |
| 7 | Canada | 236 |
| 8 | France | 217 |
| 9 | Italy | 217 |
| 10 | Germany | 215 |
Correct as at 6th May 2011 – source: Spamhaus Blocklist database
But spam is not just plaguing home computers – it has become a growing problem for people on the move. 17 million mobile phones are being hit with unwanted texts every day and the total number of spam texts has risen a staggering 300% in just four years, from one million a day in 2007 to a worrying four million today[2]. Spam texts can be particularly costly for their recipients because, unlike in email, some may be charged a fee for every text message received. What’s more, some texts encourage consumers call an expensive premium rate number, often to claim a prize.
Spam texts are becoming increasingly dangerous with the rise of smartphones, which store a wealth of sensitive personal data such as photos, email addresses and even bank details. These are rich pickings for a spammer and, as a result, uSwitch predicts that the problem will worsen as smartphone take up increases.
Ernest Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com, comments: “Spam is the great bug-bear of the internet age. Unfortunately, as we’ve become more dependent on our internet connections, so spam has spiralled to epidemic proportions. And the problem is no longer isolated to computer users – 17 million mobile users are now troubled by spam text messages too. The rise of smartphones, storing huge amounts of personal data, is presenting an enticing and exciting opportunity for spammers.
“80% of spam comes from ‘spam gangs’ operating outside of the EU and so are out of range of European law[7]. Unfortunately, that means the onus is on the consumer to take action to protect themselves, but there are still too many computer users not using spam filters. People are running a risk. When you consider the potential loss of all the information on your computer, a filter is a simple step, but a vital measure.
“We urge the Government to introduce stronger rules to govern spam, and to put pressure on mobile networks and internet providers to work harder to stop the problem. Unfortunately, although consumers can take positive steps to filter out email spam, there is currently less technology available for mobiles. If spam texts follows the same pattern as email spam, this problem is set to plague us all for some time to come.”
Source : uSwitch Press Release
