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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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US Surfers Get Biggest Bite of Spam

McAfee experiment reveals how quickly e-junk proliferates and other fun stuff

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(Newser) – Internet users in the US get the most spam, security-software firm McAfee finds after a study. McAfee gave 50 people across 10 developed countries laptops and instructed them to sign up for as much stuff on the internet as possible, and to reply to every spam message. The resulting volume of spam surprised even the researchers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Participants received a total of 2,000 spam emails in the first week, topping 100,000 in the first month—roughly 70 per user per day, although one user reported receiving 600 on some days. Americans received 22% of the total spam, more than any other country. Brazil and Italy tied for second, followed by Mexico. Russia was not included in the study.

The Barracuda Spam Firewall 1000 - Protects up to 100,000 concurrent email users from spam, viruses and other email threats.
The Barracuda Spam Firewall 1000 - Protects up to 100,000 concurrent email users from spam, viruses and other email threats.   (AP Photo)
"All of (the spammers) wanted access to my bank account," one participant said. "It reaffirmed in my head: You need to be very careful about what information you give out on the Internet."   (AP Photo)
One participant's 9,160 spam emails included offers for a Visa card from Nigeria and an ATM card from Ghana with a $25 million credit limit.
One participant's 9,160 spam emails included offers for a Visa card from Nigeria and an ATM card from Ghana with a $25 million credit limit.   (AP Photo)
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