'Desperate Housewives' spam tickles the fancy

By

The appeal of desperate housewives and the success of the eponymous TV series appears not to have passed spammers by.



Spam featuring women asking for casual sex is apparently on the rise, claims a report by email security company Clearswift.

The report suggests sex related spam has risen 180 percent in the last month.

"Without casting aspersions, those likely to respond to these kinds of adverts will be invariably hoping that one thing leads to another", says Alyn Hockey, director of research at Clearswift. "But aside from the fact that these mails are bogus, clicking on any link within a spam mail can lead to a whole host of unwanted problems. They frequently contain malicious programs including spyware or rogue internet diallers which can run up huge, unexpected bills."

It is not the first time spammers have used a popular television program or major event to try and gouge money out of unsuspecting email recipients.

After Paris Hilton has her T-Mobile Sidekick device hacked into in February, SC reported spammers immediately sent out messages claiming to contain images of the socialite.

http://www.clearswift.com
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © SC Magazine, US edition
Tags:

Most Read Articles

Microsoft knew of SharePoint security flaw in May, initial patch ineffective

Microsoft knew of SharePoint security flaw in May, initial patch ineffective

Gov to encourage vuln research, puts insurers and NFPs on notice

Gov to encourage vuln research, puts insurers and NFPs on notice

Palo Alto Networks in talks to buy CyberArk

Palo Alto Networks in talks to buy CyberArk

Allianz Life says majority of US customers' data stolen in hack

Allianz Life says majority of US customers' data stolen in hack

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?