U.S. Spews More Spam Than Any Other Country

InformationWeek ^ | Dec. 27, 2004

[Willie Green]

The United States was the 800-pound spam-spewing gorilla throughout 2004, a spot it held from wire to wire throughout the year, an anti-virus firm announced Monday.

According to researchers at U.K.-headquartered Sophos, the U.S. accounted for 42.1 percent of the world's spam, more than three times the next-guiltiest nation, South Korea, which launched 13.4 percent of the globe's junk mail. China, Canada, and Brazil rounded out the top five.

"When we first reported on the top spamming countries back in February 2004, the U.S. had the excuse that the CAN-SPAM Act had been in existence for a couple of months," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant for Sophos, in a statement. "Almost a year and millions of spam messages later, it's quite evident that that the CAN-SPAM legislation has made very little headway in damming the flood of spam."

[Always Right]

"Almost a year and millions of spam messages later

Millions??? It must be many many many BILLIONS, perhaps even Trillions.

[My2Cents]

[JRandomFreeper]

Compare and contrast to the amount of internet traffic in the US vs THE ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD. Then compare %s.

/john

[weegee]

Is America the real source of all of those Nigerian bank scam emails too?

[gov_bean_ counter]

Scene: A cafe. One table is occupied by a group of Vikings wearing horned helmets. Whenever the word "spam" is repeated, they begin singing and/or chanting. A man and his wife enter. The man is played by Eric Idle, the wife is played by Graham Chapman (in drag), and the waitress is played by Terry Jones, also in drag.

Man: You sit here, dear.
Wife: All right.
Man: Morning!
Waitress: Morning!
Man: Well, what've you got?
Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam...
Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam...
Vikings: Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.
Wife: Have you got anything without spam?
Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Wife: I don't want ANY spam!
Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage?
Wife: THAT'S got spam in it!
Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it?
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam... (Crescendo through next few lines...)
Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then?
Waitress: Urgghh!
Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam!
Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up!
Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam.
Wife: I don't like spam!
Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam!
Vikings: Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off.
Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?
Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings drown her words)
Vikings: (Singing elaborately...) Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!

[weegee]

Sophos, which used its global network of spam honeypots to attract messages to analyze, also noted that countries with high numbers of broadband Internet users are attractive targets to spammers, who often hijack vulnerable PCs, then turn them into spam "zombies" to disguise the real origin of the junk mail.

They cite this as the reason South Korea is #2. Wonder what percentage of America's tally comes from this same problem.

[Michael81Dus]

Is this your contribution to the growing number of SPAM-mails and -posts??? Sorry, it ain´t funny.

[Willie Green]

Is America the real source of all of those Nigerian bank scam emails too?

That would be my guess...
I don't think Nigeria even HAS any Internet connections.
The scams are being perpetrated by the illegal immigrants we let in.

Just a theory... but makes perfect sense to me.

[weegee]

I don't know. Some people have been in communication with the scammers and gotten them to email photos. They may have even arranged phone calls or snail mail, I can't recall.

The scam does appear to have at least originated offshore even if there are domestic crooks using it now.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Millions??? It must be many many many BILLIONS, perhaps even Trillions.

Is that you Carl?

[Willie Green]

I don't know. Some people have been in communication with the scammers and gotten them to email photos. They may have even arranged phone calls or snail mail, I can't recall.

Well we can ping one of 'em and find out for sure.

Lowbridge Scambaiting The 419 Email Scammers (FRANKLIN DUBE)

[MinstrelBoy]

Who's to say that the Spam just looks like it comes from America?

[TheBattman]

I am curious what data they base this "revelation" on.

I use SpamCop to report all spam I receive - 90% of originates from servers with a ".cn" suffix. Isn't that China?

[x1stcav]

Of course we do!

We're better at everything than anyone else.

[BJungNan]

Compare and contrast to the amount of internet traffic in the US vs THE ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD. Then compare %s.

They only want to compare the percentage when it is our donations to world relief. The total they ignore. Otherwise, if the total looks bad, like total spam, they will use that.