MANILA, Philippines -- Spam levels will increase next year as perpetrators will try to take advantage of the global economic crisis and the popularity of social networking sites, Symantec said in a recent report.

Among its security trends to watch out for in 2009, Symantec noted the global economic crisis will be the basis of many new attacks.

This would include phishing attacks. Email messages whose premise would involve the closing of a given bank meant to spread false alarm are just a few examples, Symantec said.

Similarly, attacks would also exploit other types of fraudulent activities, such as e-mail messages promising easy mortgage or refinancing.

"Expect to see an increase in scams that prey on people who have had homes foreclosed, an increase in work from home scams targeting the unemployed, and an increase in spam that mimics job sites," Symantec said in its forecast.

Meanwhile, Symantec said it has seen an increase in spam related to social networking sites this year. These threats have involved phishing for username accounts.

Spammers, Symantec noted, have been heavily promoting social networking sites. These threats will become increasingly important for businesses since workers often access these sites using their office computers.

Due to these trends, Symantec predicts spam will constitute up to 80 percent of all email at any given period next year.

As industries become more affected by the crisis, Symantec said companies who would facilitate this spam activity for profit would rise.