Spam attacks over 13m UK home computers every day
uSwitch.com warns that millions of household computers could be damaged by spam emails unless simple precautions such as filters and fire walls are put in place.
The UK is officially internet crazy with 15.5 million homes now hooked up to the World Wide Web. However, uSwitch.com reveals that this internet explosion exposes 13.2 million homes to unsolicited, potentially harmful, emails known as ‘spam’. Despite Bill Gates’ prediction that spam would be a thing of the past by 2006 over 68 million unwanted emails infiltrate our personal inboxes every day. Although the vast majority of people delete spam emails as soon as they receive them, one in ten (1.6 million) open spam before deleting it – exposing themselves to viruses, ID theft and phishing.
The independent study by comparison and switching service uSwitch.com reveals the true extent of the spam epidemic:
85% of UK homes with an internet connection receive spam, with 1 in 4 bombarded by at least ten unwanted emails every day.
Over a quarter (28%) experience problems with their home computer after receiving spam, even though only 14% actually opened a spam email – despite this worrying statistic just 4% of people are aware that they use a spam filter.
More than 1 in 4 (28%) people are spammed at work with the total cost to UK firms reaching approximately £1.3 billion every year – or £22 per user.
People are ten times more likely to experience problems such as viruses on a home computer than at work.
Chris Williams, broadband product manager at uSwitch.com, comments: “Spam has been a problem ever since the internet became available to the general public in the late 80’s but as we’ve become an online nation, spam is an epidemic with potentially damaging consequences. Home computers are now the real target of spam attacks - 85% of personal email accounts receive spam compared to just 28% of work place email accounts. The first virus surfaced in 1986 but now there are over 70,000 different kinds and recent figures show that 1 in 20 people have fallen prey to phishing. It is more important than ever for consumers to take the necessary measures to protect their computers against the possible dangers of spam.
“Millions of UK homes experience computer problems after receiving spam making online security imperative, so it is worrying that just 620,000 claim that they are using spam filters. The majority of broadband suppliers offer a free spam filter so this should be part of the criteria used when shopping around for a new supplier. This is small step when considering the potential expense of replacing or repairing a damaged computer.”
What can you do to stop spam and protect your computer?
Most broadband providers provide spam filters as part of the product ensuring that customers do not receive unwanted spam emails. When shopping around for broadband connections try and find a package that includes these features.
Most email services such as Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and Gmail allow you to block messages from certain senders. They also have a free facility that enables a filter to block certain keywords preventing spam from appearing in your inbox.
Spam software is available from a third party which works in conjunction with your email service to help block spam emails from being delivered. Such anti spam software costs from £20 to £40 depending on the level of service needed.
Whenever you see an ‘unsubscribe’ link in a spam email do not use it. It’s highly unlikely that you will actually be unregistered from receiving spam email and a lot more likely that your details may be put onto other spam email lists. The answer is to delete the message and block the sender.
Anti-virus software is available for around £25-40 per year depending on the level of protection required however these need to be updated regularly to ensure you have the latest virus definitions. Some broadband providers have also introduced virus scanning of all emails so that any infected emails are…
