UK Spam Out of Control
Ten percent of all websites in the United Kingdom send malicious and dangerous spam email, a statistics that has more than doubled since last October, according to a spam research company.
U.K.-based Spam Ratings said 20 percent of websites automatically opt in web users when it comes to sharing their details with third parties, despite the fact it violates email marketing best practice.
Forty percent of spam emails containing malware feature pharmaceutical or sex-related content, while 35 percent are related to finance, and 15 percent are phishing emails. Ten percent contain malware and links to corrupt sites that spread viruses.
Andy Yates, co-founder at Spam Ratings, called spam “a nasty and dangerous disease that has turned into an epidemic in the U.K.”
“Websites are the main cause and the main way the disease has spread,” he said. “Too many websites sell data to third parties and are the source of the huge growth in unwanted and dangerous emails.”
Spam Ratings recently launched a “Stop Spam Abuse” campaign on Facebook, and Yates urged consumers to support its efforts.
“Any websites mentioned on our Facebook ‘wall of shame’ will be investigated and, if appropriate, reported to the appropriate trade or law enforcement body,” he said.