Fraud Detection

Detect and eliminate fraudulent ad traffic.

Before you can defend against ad fraud, you must first be able to detect it.

What is ad fraud?

Ad fraud is the practice of viewing, clicking, converting, or generating false interactions with any web asset for the sole purpose of earning money directly or indirectly.

Each year, ad fraud costs businesses billions of dollars in lost ad spend. Not only do costs become inflated, but this fraudulent activity skews performance metrics. That makes it challenging to measure the effectiveness of campaigns.

Protect your advertising investments and the integrity of your campaigns with the right ad fraud detection software.

What is ad fraud?

Ad fraud is the practice of viewing, clicking, converting, or generating false interactions with any web asset for the sole purpose of earning money directly or indirectly.

Protect your advertising investments and the integrity of your campaigns with the right ad fraud detection software.

What is a Bot?

Short for “robot,” a bot is an automated software program built to carry out a specific task that most people would find too repetitive or time-consuming. Bot traffic usually mimics normal activity such as clicking an ad, placing items in shopping carts, commenting on social media, or filling out a form.  Bot fraud usually involves the use of bot farms or large collectives of bots that act in unison that is usually referred to as a botnet.

What is Malware?

Malware is malicious software installed on an unsuspecting user's computer, either desktop or mobile, that is designed to mimic a real user to perform tasks that steal advertising dollars. Tasks like viewing or clicking on ads, watching videos, filling in forms, and other unsavory activities unbeknownst to the user.

What is Human Fraud?

Human fraud is the hardest form of fraud to detect as it relies on a network of humans, instead of using bots or malware, to interact with ads and create false transactions. Because actual humans are interacting with the ads, there are no obvious signs that help ad fraud detection tools differentiate normal traffic from  human fraud.

SIVT

Sophisticated Invalid Traffic

SIVT refers to highly advanced and sophisticated techniques used to generate fraudulent traffic. SIVT techniques are far more challenging to detect. This can include advanced bots that closely mimic human traffic, hijacked devices, malware, invalid proxy traffic, cookie manipulation techniques, like cookie stuffing or human fraud farms.

GIVT

General Invalid Traffic

GIVT encompasses relatively simpler and more easily detectable forms of invalid traffic. GIVT refers to bots, crawlers, spiders, or any of the kind of non-human traffic typically routed from a data center IP address. GIVT can also apply to activity-based filtration or browsers that pre-render pages.

NHT

Non-Human Traffic

NHT, also known as bot traffic, refers to traffic generated by automated bots or scripts rather than real human visitors. Bots can simulate user behavior, such as clicking on ads, visiting websites, or filling out forms, leading to inflated ad metrics and misleading campaign performance. NHT can be a subset of both SIVT and GIVT categories.

Suspiciously High Click-Through Rates (CTR):

Fraud can be indicated by abnormally high CTR that surpasses industry benchmarks. Excessively high CTR may suggest the presence of click fraud, where fraudulent clicks are artificially generated to inflate engagement metrics.

Confused leads that deny filling out a form:

When your leads express confusion about receiving calls or communications from your business when they never filled out a form or expressed interest, it raises concerns about the legitimacy of your lead generation efforts. Such confusion is often an indication of ad fraud.

Abnormal Conversion Patterns:

Ad fraud can disrupt the natural conversion funnel, leading to irregular conversion patterns. Unusual spikes or inconsistencies in conversion rates, especially when not aligned with campaign objectives or user behavior, may be indicative of fraudulent activities.

Inconsistent User Engagement:

Ad fraud can result in inconsistent user engagement metrics. For example, if there are variations in time spent on-site, pages visited, or interaction patterns, it may imply the presence of non-human traffic or automated bot activity instead of genuine user engagement.

Excessive Traffic from Certain Locations:

Unusually high traffic from specific geographic regions or IP addresses could be a sign of ad fraud. Fraudsters may manipulate traffic sources to generate fake impressions or clicks, targeting specific locations to appear more legitimate.

Irregular Spikes in Ad Performance:

Sudden and unexplained spikes in ad performance metrics, such as impressions, clicks, or conversions, can be an indication of ad fraud. These irregularities may suggest the use of fraudulent techniques like ad stacking or click bots to artificially boost campaign results.

eBook

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Ad Fraud 101 eBook

Types of Ad Fraud

Impression Fraud

Impression fraud involves generating false impressions by artificially inflating the number of times an ad is served or displayed. This can be achieved through techniques like pixel stuffing, hidden ad placements, or manipulating ad refresh rates.

Click Fraud

Click fraud occurs when fraudulent clicks are generated on ads, often by automated bots or click farms. The aim is to increase the number of clicks without genuine user engagement, leading to inflated click-through rates and wasted advertising budgets.

Attribution Fraud

Attribution fraud exploits the attribution models used in advertising campaigns. Fraudsters manipulate the attribution process to wrongfully claim credit for conversions or installs, leading to incorrect allocation of advertising budgets and misleading performance metrics.

Affiliate Fraud

Affiliate fraud involves fraudulent practices by affiliates or partner networks. It includes activities like cookie stuffing, where unauthorized cookies are placed on users' devices without their knowledge, leading to falsely attributed conversions and commissions.

Bot Traffic Manipulation

Ad fraudsters use bot traffic to simulate user interactions and engagement with ads. Bots can generate fake clicks, impressions, or conversions, creating the illusion of genuine user activity and deceiving advertisers.

Lead Generation Fraud

Lead generation fraud refers to the deceptive practices employed to generate false or low-quality leads in marketing campaigns. It involves activities such as submitting fabricated or irrelevant information, utilizing automated bots or scripts, or misleading users into providing their details without genuine intent.

The Negative and Financial Impacts of Ad Fraud

Wasted Advertising Budget

Ad fraud leads to a significant waste of advertising budgets. Fraudulent activities such as fake impressions, clicks, and conversions drain advertisers' funds without providing any actual value or meaningful engagement with real users.

Decreased ROI

Ad fraud skews campaign performance metrics, leading to misleading results and reduced return on investment (ROI). Advertisers may struggle to accurately assess the effectiveness of their campaigns, make data-driven decisions, and optimize their strategies for better outcomes.

Damaged Brand Reputation

Ad fraud can harm a brand's reputation. When ads are associated with fraudulent or low-quality placements, it can erode consumer trust and perception of the brand. Negative experiences resulting from ad fraud can impact customer loyalty and hinder long-term brand growth.

Advertiser-Publisher Trust

Ad fraud strains the trust between advertisers and publishers. When advertisers unknowingly pay for fraudulent traffic or impressions, it can lead to strained relationships with publishers who may be unaware of the fraudulent activities occurring on their platforms.

Ad Tech Industry Impact

Ad fraud undermines the overall health and sustainability of the ad tech industry. It affects the confidence of advertisers, leading to reduced investments and potential disruptions in the ecosystem. Ad fraud also puts legitimate ad tech companies at a disadvantage as they compete with fraudulent entities.

Lead Generation Fraud

eBook

Download The Cost of Ad Fraud eBook

Choose Anura for Ad Fraud Detection

Safeguard your advertising investment with Anura's advanced ad fraud detection and prevention capabilities.

Benefits of Using Anura

Anura ensures that your ad spend is protected from fraudulent activity, allowing you to focus on reaching real customers and achieving your business goals. Choose an ad fraud detection company that leverages cutting-edge technology to help keep your campaigns secure and efficient.

Enhanced Accuracy. Anura's ad fraud solution ensures accurate identification of fraudulent activities, with no false positives or confusing scores, providing businesses with reliable and actionable data.
Thorough Detection. Anura analyzes user behavior patterns comprehensively, detecting click farms, bots, and other fraudulent activities to provide businesses with a clear understanding of ad fraud within their campaigns.
Fraud Prevention. Anura promptly detects fraudulent traffic, minimizing wasted ad spend and optimizing ROI for businesses, eliminating the need to apply for refunds as ads are blocked from fraudulent visitors.
Real-Time Monitoring. Anura's real-time monitoring and alerts enable businesses to respond quickly to fraudulent activities, mitigating their impact on ad campaigns.
Granular Analytics. Anura offers detailed analytics and insights into ad fraud trends, patterns, and sources, empowering businesses to make informed decisions in combating ad fraud effectively.

Rulesets set by experts. Anura's solution provides pre-defined rulesets set by industry experts, ensuring businesses benefit from optimized fraud detection and prevention measures.
Easy Integration. Anura's ad fraud solution integrates seamlessly with existing advertising platforms, allowing businesses to be up and running within minutes.
Comprehensive Dashboard. Anura provides businesses with a comprehensive dashboard that offers a centralized view of their ad fraud data, enabling easy monitoring and analysis of campaigns.
TAG Certified Against Fraud. Anura is TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) certified against fraud, demonstrating its commitment to industry-leading standards and best practices in ad fraud prevention.
Dedicated Support. Anura offers comprehensive support to businesses, assisting them in implementing and optimizing the ad fraud solution for their specific needs.

We love working with Anura and their Team. Rich and his entire group have built a great tool that anyone in marketing should be using. They have great support and know their stuff. I recommend anyone I know to try their tool!

-Brett Kaufman, Successful Media, LLC