Stockholm, May 27: The junk e-mail plaguing Europe has something decidedly in common with the American variety. Nearly all the spam messages are in English, originate in the United States and don`t even bother to price their wares in Euros.


"It`s always some unbelievable business opportunity, which is what we get from America," said Olle Thylander of the Swedish University Computer Network, a Stockholm-based group that oversees Internet traffic for Swedish universities.



Although there are no complete figures about the volume of spam Europeans receive, many contend it`s on the rise. Yet Europeans find little common ground on how to combat the American scourge.

In essence, Europeans are importing an American problem but not any tough solutions. Unlike the strictest laws in Virginia and other US states, European Union rules don`t call for jail time.


At most, spammers are fined, but enforcement is left to individual countries. And although the EU rules cover spam sent from the United States and elsewhere, member countries lack both the resources - and the authority - to pursue violators abroad.


"The main culprits are international companies, but we have no way of stopping them," said Cristina Garcia del Valle, a spokeswoman at the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.


Jens Storm Lernoe, who oversees Microsoft Corp.`s MSN and Hotmail operations in Denmark, estimates that more than 95 per cent of spam comes from abroad, mostly the United States. Bureau Report