Spam Attacks Multiplied Four Times in UK During Q2 2008

On August 7, 2008, an anti-spam software making company in UK - ClearMyMail- revealed the results of its quarterly spamming index for 2nd quarter of 2008. The results clearly indicated that an average of 30,846 spam were restricted for each consumer in those 3 months, an increase of four times compared to 8,156 in the first quarter. This was a rise of around 22,690 spam mails restricted during 3 months.

Further, Royal Bank of Scotland - Halifax - has again crept its way up the rankings of hackers. In the last quarter of 2007, Halifax received just 0.8% of the overall proportion of mails restricted. But, during the first quarter of 2008, it touched 8.49% and in the 2nd quarter, it reached 9.77%.

The report gives top 10 financial companies in the UK attacked by spammers. These are - Royal Bank of Scotland with 42.78% of total phishing attacks restricted, Abbey with 18.28%, Halifax with 9.77%, Natwest with 7.06%, PayPal with 6.79%, Citi card/bank with 4.75%, Lloyds TSB with 4.70%, HSBC with 3.36%, Nationwide with 0.93% and Barclays with 0.82%.

Moreover, the company claimed that the customers of Orange received the highest amount of spam. In the first quarter of 2008, 96% of the total mails received by Orange ISP accountholders were spam, which further increased to 96.93% in the 2nd quarter. ClearMyMail had blocked an average of 44,000 spam mails from Orange ISP inbox of Colin Wells, the highest spamming mail recipient in Britain.

The analyses also revealed that both the US and UK sent the maximum number of spam to the accounts of UK. In fact, UK sent around 19.65% of spam, but the total number of spam coming from the US to UK fell down from 19.53% in the first quarter of 2008 to 12.57%.

The study also revealed that both phishers and spammers are becoming more local. This enables spammers to know the markets they are attacking and thereby, increasing the outcomes of fake mails.

Managing Director of ClearMyMail Dan Field said that these statistics are quite worrisome as the average number of spam restricted from entering inboxes increased four times in last three months, indicating to some corrective measures, as reported by SCMagazine on August 7, 2008.

Related article: Spam Scam Bags a Scottish Connection

» SPAMfighter News - 8/19/2008