New Sophos research has revealed that there has been a rise in
the number of people who admit to having purchased goods sold via
spam.
A poll, conducted by the IT security and control firm, has
revealed that 11% of people admit to having bought spam-advertised
goods, compared to just 5% in February 2007.
"Spammers seem to be finding it all too easy to con people into
buying their goods. Whether they are selling weight loss
medications, financial loans or drugs to improve sexual performance
there seems to be no end of people who are prepared to click
without thinking," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant at Sophos. "People who buy goods sold via
spam are perpetuating the problem of junk email for all of us. The
simple fact is that if no-one purchased items advertised via junk
email the spammers would stop."
Earlier this year, Sophos published
its Security Threat Report July 2007, examining the latest trends
in spam, malware and hacking.
Sophos recommends companies protect themselves with a consolidated solution which can control network access and defend
against the threats of spam, hackers, spyware and viruses.
* Source: Sophos online poll, 390 respondents,
November 2007.
Disclaimer: Please bear in mind that this poll is not
scientific and is provided for information purposes only. Sophos
makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the results other than
that they reflect the choices of the users who participated.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.