Shoppers desperate to get their hands on this year’s must have gift – the Nintendo Wii – are being warned not to respond to spam emails offering recipients the chance to purchase the games console which is currently out of stock across the country.

Research from anti-spam company ClearMyMail has revealed that unscrupulous spammers from across the globe are targeting parents in the UK – with Nintendo related spam levels rising by 120% since November.

Dan Field, managing director of ClearMyMail said: “Not only are spammers trying to rip the British public off with spam emails that try to find out their bank details, but now we see them targeting parents with emails containing promises of this year’s must-have present, the Nintendo Wii.”

“In all reality the spammers will just take your money, deliver nothing at all and probably try to infect your PC with a virus.”

The company is advising anybody who receives an email from an address they don’t know which is offering a Wii, to delete it immediately.

According to retail analysts, MDB Capital Group, Nintendo’s failure to keep up with global demand for the Wii console could see it miss out on profits to the tune of £640m this Christmas.

Conspiracy theories abound however, with some analysts suggesting that Nintendo actually welcomes the shortage as it is prolonging interest in the console and delaying market saturation.

For more on the Wii shortage see Rachel Lacey's blog