Statistics gathered by the FBI suggest that more than 80%-85% of all e-mail is spam or junk and more than 100 billion spam messages are being sent via hijacked home computers that have been compromised by a computer virus. Over thirty years, spam has grown into an underground industry that sends out billions of messages every day.

Statistics suggest that more than 70%-85% of all e-mail is spam or junk and, to add a little history, the very first spam message was sent 30 years ago; this spam messages was sent via Arpanet (the internet’s forerunner).

Further statistics gathered by the FBI suggest that 75% of net scams snare people through junk e-mail. In 2007 these cons netted criminals more than $239m (£121m).

Today it celebrates its 30 year anniversary. I’m sure we couldn’t be happier for the stupid, dirty, annoying, criminal spammers.