While this year's holiday season has been good to online retailers, spammers also cashed in on the significant increase in shoppers surfing the Net fo...

While this year's holiday season has been good to online retailers, spammers also cashed in on the significant increase in shoppers surfing the Net for online computer bargains, according to SurfControl, the world's number one Web and e-mail filtering company.

The newest spam scams, which now account for 1 out of every 20 spam e-mails reviewed by SurfControl, began to appear in high volumes at the start of the holiday season. With subject lines such as "WinXP, Office, Autodesk, Adobe OEM Christmas Sale," the spam is designed to entice online shoppers to click through to basic Web sites that offer the latest "OEM" computer software on CDs, at rock bottom prices-sometimes as low as $25. Unlike similar computer-related spam or mass market spam pitches, the new spam are labeled "OEM," to appeal to both businesses and sophisticated consumers of such popular products as Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Photoshop which normally retail for $200 or more.

The OEM label also implies that the software is the real thing, however the offers are questionable, according to Susan Larson, SurfControl's vice president of Global Content, because "software publishers typically don't license their software for OEM resale unless it's part of a system bundle and prices are just too good to be true." Larson also notes that software piracy is common overseas and the offers do not include the manufacturer's packaging, manuals or customer support, making it difficult to check authenticity or if buyers are actually going to get what they paid for. The growth of this new OEM spam parallels the growth of online shopping in November and December. According to comScore Networks, an online research firm that tracks online spending among 1.5 million Internet users, e-commerce sales reached $11.72 billion from November 1 to December 26, and computer-related products led the list of online purchases.

SurfControl, which monitors and tracks global spam trends, first noticed the new computer software spam in October, but it accounted for only 1 percent, or 1 in every 100 spam. The company watched as the OEM software spam increased dramatically - by 4 times -- at the end of November, accounting for 1 in every 25 spam. By December, the OEM software spam represented 5 percent of all spam, or 1 in every 20 spam e-mails reviewed by the company's Global Content team. SurfControl noted computer-related Web sites increased from 5 to 6 percent between October and November, as well. "Spammers quickly take advantage of every new development on the Net or in the news," said Larson. "This latest shift demonstrates how quickly spammers can capitalize on the latest e-commerce trends, such as consumers shopping online more often for more expensive items, like PCs and software."

The spam scams target both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets, according to SurfControl's spam experts. Common B2B spam market pitches are for Microsoft XP Corporate Edition, Microsoft Money 2004 Deluxe, .Net 2003 Enterprise, and Microsoft Windows Server at prices ranging from $45 to $99; several hundred dollars below typical retail costs. Consumer-oriented spam typically advertises Microsoft Windows XP, Macromedia Flash MX 2004 and Cakewalk Home Studio, for example, at costs ranging from $24.95 to $34.95. Typically these software packages retail for $100 and up.

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) also expressed concern that the online shopping public might be easy prey for software spammers. "While shopping online is convenient and easier than ever, the Internet is rapidly attracting fraudsters who take advantage of consumers' ignorance. OEM spam is another example of why we continue to urge buyers to beware, and especially on the Net," said Mark Uncapher, vice president and counsel for ITAA's Internet Commerce and Communications Division. For the unwary or less savvy Internet buyer, such as smaller businesses or consumers, OEM spam may look legitimate and appealing, but closer inspection of the offers and Web sites indicate these could be fraudulent, according to SurfControl's Larson. "While some of these offers may be legitimate software, the majority look highly suspicious, and customers may be purchasing something that isn't what they expected," Larson warns.

Key indicators of a scam are suspicious-looking Web sites that:

• Use anonymous domain hosting services;
• Lack sufficient contact information, no company history or background to assist in verifying the offer;
• Lack any information about security or encryption to assure that personal financial information is kept confidential; and
• Lack privacy policies and return policies.

SurfControl said companies and individuals should research online marketers to assure they are reputable before providing information or making a purchase. Companies should take advantage of security sites and notifications, such as the Network Risks alerts service provided to customers using SurfControl E-mail or Web Filter. Businesses and consumers should check the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center, for additional information on the Internet fraud alerts.


About SurfControl
SurfControl offers a total content security solution that combines Web, E-mail (including Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus) and Instant Message filters with the industry's largest, most accurate and relevant content database and adaptive reasoning tools to automate content recognition. The company is the leader in the Content Security market, a significant sub sector of the Secure Content Management market, a market that analysts expect to reach $6.5 billion in 2007.

For more information on SurfControl, please visit www.surfcontrol.com