What is Pay Per Click Fraud?

What’s the difference between click fraud and pay per click fraud?

Click fraud is a general term for fake or dishonest clicks meant to trick ad systems or make money unfairly. This can happen in various models, including pay-per-click (PPC), pay-per-impression, or pay-per-action. Pay per click fraud, on the other hand, is a specific type of click fraud that targets PPC campaigns, where advertisers are charged every time someone clicks on their ad. In PPC fraud, the intent is to drain ad budgets or inflate affiliate earnings by generating fake clicks—often through bots, click farms, or malware—without any real user engagement or conversions. While all PPC fraud is click fraud, not all click fraud happens in PPC environments.

How does pay per click fraud impact performance?

Pay per click fraud is the deliberate act of generating fake clicks on paid advertisements, causing advertisers to waste budget on traffic that will never convert. The fraud often originates from bots, click farms, or even unethical affiliates looking to exploit pay-per-performance models. It’s not just about lost dollars—it distorts conversion rates, misguides campaign optimizations, and inflates CPAs. Without a reliable pay per click fraud protection solution, you’re essentially flying blind.

PPC fraud also poses a growing threat in affiliate ecosystems. Fraudsters can use automated scripts or hire low-cost labor to click on sponsored links, appearing to drive traffic that seems legitimate. When combined with affiliate fraud, this behavior not only burns through budgets but also puts your brand partnerships and reputation at risk.

Why is pay per click fraud hard to detect?

Fraudsters have become more sophisticated, mimicking human behavior to avoid traditional detection tools. Simple tactics like IP blocking or user-agent filtering won’t cut it. In fact, many legacy systems rely on incomplete or outdated data that fails to flag advanced threats. Bots can now scroll pages, mimic mouse movement, and even simulate time on site. If your pay per click fraud prevention solution isn’t analyzing behavior in real time, you’re likely still paying for fake traffic.

And while some solutions tout “false positive protection,” they often sacrifice accuracy to avoid blocking legitimate visitors. That’s not good enough. You need a platform that delivers definitive answers—without blocking real users.

What makes Anura a trusted pay per click fraud protection solution?

Anura’s ad fraud detection platform stands out by offering 99.999% accuracy when identifying visitors as bad—a bold claim backed by our Accuracy Guarantee. Unlike rule-based systems or IP blacklists, Anura analyzes hundreds of data points per visitor in real time, eliminating false positives and giving you confidence in every click. You also get immediate access to in-depth visitor analysis, enabling faster decisions and clean campaign data. Our real-time dashboard provides transparency and actionable insights, whether you’re running a large-scale affiliate program or a tightly managed PPC campaign.

Anura goes beyond detection to identify the exact fraud source—bot, malware, or human fraud—so you can cut off the threat at its root. Whether you’re battling affiliate fraud, invalid clicks from overseas farms, or sophisticated bot attacks, Anura is built to adapt to emerging threats.

How do I choose the right pay per click fraud prevention solution?

Look for a partner that offers real-time threat identification, no false positives, and clear evidence of fraud. A pay per click fraud protection solution should integrate easily, deliver accurate reporting, and work across channels like display, search, and affiliate. It should also scale with your business and adapt to new tactics used by fraudsters.

Ready to stop paying for fake clicks? Try Anura’s free 15-day trial and experience real protection.