According to the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), 12% of Internet users have admitted to ordering a product that was advertised in a spam message. Though this is not surprising, it is these idiots that cause the remainder of us to fight spam and the junk mail that persists year after year. No matter how many times people are warned about junk mail, there are those that fall victim to this garbage.

According to an article over at ars technica it also states:

Admitting the secret shame

The MAAWG conducted 800 interviews by phone and Internet across the US with people who had e-mail addresses not managed by a corporate IT staff. It found that two-thirds of the group said that they were very or somewhat experienced with Internet security, and a majority used filters of some kind in order to avoid spam. Eighty-two percent were aware of bots and botnets, though not many believed they were at risk of being victimized by one.

Slightly less than half (48 percent) said that they have never clicked on a spam e-mail. That’s the good news, but that means the other half have clicked on or responded to spam. But why? The answers will undoubtedly horrify you. A full 12 percent said that they were interested in the product or service being offered—those erection drug and mail order bride ads do reach a certain market, it appears.

Seventeen percent said that they made a mistake when they did so—understandable—but another 13 percent said they simply had no idea why they did it; they just did. Another six percent “wanted to see what would happen.”

This is unbelievable:

13 percent said they simply had no idea why they did it; they just did. Another six percent “wanted to see what would happen.”

As long as we have these folks living among us, spam will continue to flood our in boxes.

Comments welcome.

Source.