Spam emails on the rise says uSwitch

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Spam emails on the rise says uSwitch

Fri 20th Oct 2006

Millions of home computers are being attacked every day in the UK by potentially harmful junk emails, according to price comparison website uSwitch.

A total of 14.4 million computers are targeted on a daily basis, new research found, with unsolicited emails numbering 74 million every day.

So-called 'phishing' is proving to be a problem also with personal losses reaching £23.2 million cumulatively in the UK. Phishing is when a hoax email is sent inviting the recipient to state their bank details when clicking on a link in the email.

Broadband expert at uSwitch Chris Williams remarked: "Millions of UK homes experience computer problems after receiving junk email, yet just four per cent of internet users (676,000) claim that they are using filters."

"The majority of broadband suppliers now offer this for free so it should certainly form part of the criteria when choosing a new supplier," he added.

According to uSwitch, 1,484 phishing incidents took place in August 2005 compared to 160 in August 2005. This highlights the increase in attempted ID fraud and a need for computer users to protect their computers.

It is not just home computers that are facing a high level of threat from criminals. Unsolicited emails are also costing UK businesses £1.3 billion a year.

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