Valentine's Day may be seen by some as nothing more than a chance for greeting card manufacturers to line their pockets, but lately there is another group trying to cash in too - spammers.
Security experts are warning emailers to be wary of scams which use Valentine's Day as a way of convincing you to part with your money - something which only perpetuates spam email in the long term.
"Spammers are no longer facing such an easy ride when it comes to flogging goods, whether they're personalised Valentine's Day gifts or the latest and greatest in ten-day weight-loss medication," said Graham Cluley of security firm Sophos.
Just five percent of computer users now admit to purchasing goods sold via spam, compared to nine percent this time last year, according to Sophos.
"The simple fact is that if no one bought goods sold via junk email the spammers would stop... in order to make the perpetrators disappear, more people need to be resolute and stop responding to spam," said Cluley.
Other types of spam email, such as those which attempt to spread malware, should be guarded against. PandaLabs, another security company, warned people to be on the look out for emails with the subject lines Together You and I, Til the End of Time Heart of Mine, 5 reasons I love you or A kiss for you.
?As Valentine's Day approaches this year we are already seeing a proliferation of computer threats. All kinds of spam and new viruses are expected to join the viruses currently circulating using this lure," said Luis Corrons of PandaLabs.
"As a general rule, don't open any suspicious email, regardless of what it says it contains,? said Corrons.
However, not all Valentine's Day activities on the internet are sinister. Visitors to Tiscali's website will be able to submit Valentine's messages which will appear on the Tiscali homepage on 14 February. There is even a 'Sonnet generator', that will allow you to create a customised poem for your loved one.
http://www.sophos.com/ http://www.pandasoftware.com/ http://www.tiscali.co.uk/valentines/ 
Topic: Beware spam from your Valentine (Read 551 times)