'Del Boy' spammers trade on Rolex name

Web surfers have been plagued by a 'significant increase' in the volume of spam emails trading on the name of the luxury watch manufacturer Rolex during the last week, researchers have noted.

Global monitoring by IT security firm Sophos has recorded a 300 per cent rise in the number of junk emails referencing Rolex in the last month.

"Spammers hawking cheap watches are the internet equivalent of Del Boy and Rodney, but few computer users who have to wade through a barrage of unsolicited emails every day will find their antics amusing," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

He added that spam continues to be a "nice little earner" for spammers because people continue to purchase goods sold via junk email.

Earlier this year, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer - the maker of Viagra - announced that it was taking legal action against dozens of illegitimate online pharmacies to block sales of counterfeit drugs and help reduce spam.

"It's not the first time that a big brand has been targeted, and it's unlikely to be the last, but it will be interesting to see what action Rolex takes to protect its name from the abuse of spammers," said Cluley.

See also:

Spammers take aim at Christmas

Study reveals junk mail tactics becoming ever more sophisticated  10 Nov 2004

Hack attacks and spam set to increase

IDC warns of the growing importance of enforcing security policies  07 Oct 2004

Ecommerce minister wants to shut down spam

O'Brien considers new powers to force ISPs to cut down on spam  01 Oct 2004

A feast of anti-spam

The proliferation of anti-spam offerings has left many businesses bewildered. Which products should they choose?  21 Sep 2004

Zombie PCs generate 80 per cent of spam

Majority of junk mail coming from home PCs infected with spam Trojans  03 Jun 2004

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