What do the experts say about it?

US Federal Trade Commission - "Spam: Commercial e-mails, generally advertising products or services available to buy online, sent to a large number of recipients without their consent. Phishing: Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information from unsuspecting victims."

How does it get there in the first place?

If you've got an e-mail account, you're going to get spam, it's just the way it works. It may not be fair, it may not be pleasant (what 15-year-old wants to know about sex-drive pills?) but it looks to be here to stay.

Phishing is a little more serious though, as it can lead to crimes like identity fraud, or at the very least money laundering.

But how does this affect me?

Sure, we're probably not going to be buying Viagra any time soon, and it's usually blatantly obvious they're not sent from a friend of yours, but you don't want to be bombarded with ads for porn in your e-mail. Spam e-mails can even contain attachments with trojans and viruses. As for phishing attacks, we're talking about organised crime here - this isn't some guy searching for a quick buck. That certainly affects you personally.

You can see an example of phishing by clicking on the image to the right - the e-mail looks as if it is a genuine notice from eBay asking you to update your information, but this is just a professional looking front to an operation designed to steal your bank details. Don't let them trick you.

Get it Sorted

Spam's both annoying and potentially very serious when combined with phishing - get advice by clicking below and stay safe.

• Use different free e-mail addresses for different purposes
• Take care and disguise your e-mail address online
• Don't reply to spam and don't click "Unsubscribe"
• Don't be tricked into giving out passwords or bank details to phishing sites
• Follow the Sorted top 10 rules to privacy online

Find out more

For further reading on spam and phishing attacks, take a look at the following sites:

• Examples of phishing attacks
• Microsoft's research into Anti-Phishing technologies