Beware Of Holiday Spam And Scams

[Mobo]

By Messaging Pipeline News Courtesy of Messaging Pipeline

FrontBridge Technologies' spam and virus analysts are forecasting a rise in e-mail spam and phishing scams during the coming Holiday Season.

"The holidays are notoriously busy for spammers," said Dan Nadir, FrontBridge's vice president of product management at. "As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear and more consumers are using the Internet and email to buy and send gifts, spammers will likely kick into high gear, and we anticipate an equally big increase in e-mail scams."

The company says that if past years are any guide, spam percentages will to rise immediately following Thanksgiving, then ride a steady incline into January. FrontBridge is preparing for the spam monthly average to hit 90 percent or more in December 2004.

FrontBridge cautions all users to follow these simple rules when receiving and responding to e-mail:

* Do not open or reply to email or attachments that request personal or financial information.
* Check online statements frequently to make sure your money is where it belongs.
* Look for secure websites when logging on to a link sent by e-mail.
* Report suspicious activity if a financial institution appears to be asking for inappropriate information.
* Don't buy "Spamvertised" holiday gifts.
* Pay attention when filling out online forms and be sure not to disclose unnecessary information.
* Be careful giving your email address to strangers.

During the 31 days in October, FrontBridge filtered more than three billion messages -- 87 percent accounted for spam, making October the ninth consecutive month where spam percentages increased