Study Finds 12% of Internet Users Fall for Spam

Ever wonder why your inbox gets inundated with spam on a regular basis, even though you've never once clicked on a solicitation to enlarge your favorite body part? The answer is simple - while you might not be falling for the unwelcome sales pitches, there are plenty of others who are.

According to a new study by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), 12 percent of Internet users have wanted to pay for a product or service advertised by email. To come up with that number, the MAAWG interviewed 800 U.S. residents by phone and Internet without an email address managed by a corporate IT staff. Two-thirds claimed to be very or somewhat experienced with Internet security, while most of the participants used a spam filter.

Even though 82 percent said they were aware of bots and botnets, less than half (48 percent) said they never click on spam email.

"Although a small percentage of the computing population, these numbers still earn a significant enough return on investment to support a booming spam-driving underground economy," wrote MAAWG.