Spam has become much more than a major nuisance and a valuable waste of hard drive or server space; it can also severely affect employee productivity. For example, employees now spend more trying to filter legitimate email messages from the ever-increasing unwanted junk mail that floods their in-box. During this time-consuming and unproductive task, one or two important email messages often end up in the recycle bin. This can cause even greater frustration and lost time, not to mention a possible loss of sales and clients.

Spam also slows Internet access. A steady flow of spam can take up a large majority of a company’s bandwidth. This can hamper productivity, especially for anyone who must conduct online research or send email messages to clients on a regular basis. Even worse, spam messages may contain harmful viruses, Trojans or scripts that can cause even more damage and wasted time.

Some companies become so inundated with spam messages that they find it difficult to use their email system. Users may receive dozens or even more junk mail messages every single hour. According to recent surveys, approximately one out of every five email messages received is spam. An average employee will spend approximately 5 seconds to delete each unwanted message.

This may not seem like a large amount, but you must factor in the number of employees within your organization. If your company employs 30,000 people, each person ends up wasting valuable time and resources deleting spam. You can just imagine how much time and money in lost productivity is wasted per year!

Another scenario is becoming more common. One of your employees may accidentally open a spam message that contains a malicious script. This can cause the user’s computer to dial a 900-number or access a harmful website. This problem can grow out of control so quickly that every employee in your company may be required to obtain a new email address. Every client must be informed of the new contact information. This can wreak havoc on a small company with limited resources.

Make sure you purchase secure anti-spam protection for your company and verify that every employee’s computer uses it. You should also ensure your company server is well protected. This can reduce the amount of lost hours and money wasted each week due to spam.

Many individuals have generously offered to donate money to help the people of Burma recover from the devastation caused by cyclone Nargis. Unfortunately, this group of people is also being targeted by heartless spammers.

A large number of individuals have received email messages containing links that direct them to fraudulent websites. The phishers have tried to capitalize on the massive publicity following the natural disaster and the appeals made by aid agencies such as the Disasters Emergency Committee in the UK. Phishers have designed websites that are made to appear as if they are actually from the UN. Unsuspecting users are lured to these sites when they receive fake emails asking them to donate money to help the Burmese people.

As a result of these phishing scams, many people are now hesitant about donating. However, organizers are encouraging individuals to donate only to registered charities, not via links contained in emails that may lead to fake charity websites. You can verify if a charitable institution is actually registered by visiting www.charitycommission.gov.uk

In addition to the UN, the Federal Trade Commission has also been alert to the phishing tactics used by these fake fundraising scams. Similar phishing tactics involving fake charity websites were used in 2005 to exploit potential donors wishing to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina.