Security company plays with spam

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 1 (UPI) -- A California Internet security company was surprised by the amount of spam generated by having 50 computer users answer all their e-mail.

Within a month, the participants were receiving an average of 70 e-mails a day, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. One got 600 on his best -- or worst -- days.

McAfee, a company in Santa Clara, recruited 50 people in 10 countries, gave each of them a new laptop with minimal security and set them up with e-mail accounts using fake names.

Bill, a retired accountant in San Francisco, got more e-mail than anyone else -- 9,160 messages in a month.

"Somebody wanted to cleanse my colon and to pour water in my gas tank so I could run my car on water," he said. "And there were Christian dating clubs."

Bill, whose agreement with McAfee includes keeping his last name hidden, said he was also offered an ATM card in Ghana with a $25 million limit.

McAfee discovered the U.S. participants got more e-mail than anyone else, suggesting spammers believe the United States is still tops in disposable income. Men tended to get more than women.

The company also found that the notorious Nigerian e-mail scam is still going strong in every country.