Spammers are looking to dupe desperate parents hoping to buy this year's must-have present, a Nintendo Wii.

UK anti-spam company ClearMyMail said that unscrupulous spammers are deliberately targeting parents with messages purporting to offer last minute deals on the console.

The research also reveals that spammers are becoming increasingly market-savvy, sending out messages about Nintendo's much-hyped console instead of Microsoft's Xbox 360.

ClearMyMail claims that spam relating to Xbox consoles is decreasing, while Nintendo Wii spam has increased by 120 per cent since November.

"Spammers are not only trying rip off the British public with spam emails that try to find out their bank details," said Dan Field, managing director of ClearMyMail.

"They are targeting parents with emails containing promises of the Nintendo Wii. But in reality the spammers will just take your money, deliver nothing at all and probably try to infect your PC with a virus."