Research commissioned by messaging security firm
Cloudmark shows 66% ofUK mobile phone usershave received
spam text messages.
The figure rises to 75% among 18 to 24 year olds, said
Cloudmark, whose survey questioned 2,150 people.
The types of mobile spam consumers are receiving go beyond
simple nuisance messages to attacks designed to steal personal
information or trick the consumer into spending money.
Of respondents that had been victims of spam, nearly one in ten
were targeted with
phishing attacks encouraging them to disclose personal
data.
In addition, 38% received a text containing a link to another
site, while 45% received a text message that tried to trick them
into calling a premium rate number.
Neil Cook, head of technology EMEA at Cloudmark, said, "It's a
fallacy to think that mobile messaging spam isn't yet an issue in
the UK.
"Not only is it already a problem, but when you see three
quarters of young people are subjected to mobile spam, the scale of
the challenge comes into sharp focus."
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