Ipswitch announces the results of its ninth Spamometer survey, revealing that 96.4% of all email received is spam, the highest rate since recording began. This compares with 95% the previous quarter and only 84% over the same period last year. The biggest category of spam, finance, accounts for 41% of all messages received in an email inbox; a quarter of spam emails were categorized as medication; with pornographic emails accounting for 21%. The rise in financial spam mirrors the current trend for emails requesting recipients to call illegitimate call centers and pass over personal financial information known as 'Vishing.' Ipswitch's research also found that spam from botnets accounted for 72% of all spam generated.

Medication spam has been knocked off the top spot for the first time in three quarters. Finance spam emails have risen from only 12% the previous quarter to 41% over the holidays. Pornographic emails descended to third position this quarter, down from 21% to 16%.

1. Finance - 41% (up from 5)

2. Medication - 19% (down from 1)

3. Pornographic - 16% (down from 2)

4. Gambling - 13%

5. Undecipherable - 8% (down from 3)

"The trend that Ipswitch's figures show is a continued move from pragmatic, opportunistic Spam being carried out by a single user for their own gain to fully organized criminal gangs using botnets to gain both volume of emails and a degree of anonymity from automated shut-downs, alongside the use of professionally run 'help' desks where the unwary are persuaded to give up there financial security details. This level of sophistication shows there really is only one solution to Spam -- to stop it before it reaches the end user," warns Quocirca Ltd Service Director, Business Process Analyst, Clive Longbottom.

"The current trend for Vishing highlights the problem of criminals tending to be half a step in front of the law and causing significant damage before they are brought to justice. We are already seeing the impact on individuals who have become victims of Vishing," comments Ipswitch's President of the Messaging Division, Tripp Allen. "Vishing has undoubtedly knocked consumer confidence in the security of VoIP technologies. Even though the vulnerabilities were generally down to the user not taking the proper precautions."

Ipswitch boasts a family of streamlined, innovative and flexible messaging products that meet users' evolving needs. Ipswitch IMail Server delivers crucial communication and collaboration tools without the high acquisition and ongoing administrative costs of systems designed for large enterprises. IMail Server provides solid, scalable, standards-based email service with Web-based access and administration