The most popular spam topics in February 2009 focused on the economy and the Oscars ceremony, according to online security firm Symantec. In its monthly State of Spam report, the firm said spam carrying offers related the global economy was on the rise.

For instance, spam messages on the Obama stimulus package had surfaced from early February, sporting advertisements for stimulus grant packages, fake IRS messages and more. Other economy-related spam over the month included messages that offered to let people work from home as a blogger and discounted travel rates.

Symantec's February spam report also noted a rise in the number of Oscars-related junk emails circulating the web, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie the two most popular nominees mentioned in spam subject lines. In a blog post for the company, Symantec employee Dermot Harnett warned: "Email users should be aware that during this difficult economic period there are many spammers willing to exploit the situation to ensure that their bonuses and returns on investments are maintained."

The results follow findings released last month by anti-virus software experts McAfee, which alerted email users to the rise in 'bargain spam'. Earlier in February, the McAfee Avert Labs blog also warned users against opening romantically-themed emails in the run-up to Valentine's Day in case they constituted spam.

At the same time, Symantec made a similar warning. In its latest report, it added that there had been a 700 per cent rise in spam messages with a Valentine's Day theme and that after February 14th, Russian bride spam had helped to 'fill the void'.