Prevent ad fraud and effectively market your app
Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2025 8:59 am
Ad fraud, which generates impressions (the number of times an ad is displayed) and fraudulent clicks, is caused by "bots" created and spread by fraudsters.
If bots spread across a site, advertisers will have to pay for ads even if users have not seen them. Furthermore, bots not only click on ads illegally, but also have a negative impact on funnel conversions such as "likes" on social media content and product reviews.
Device Farm
"Device farms" are a type of ad fraud scheme that involves repeatedly resetting the ID of a single device, making it appear as if the app has been downloaded from multiple devices.
This type of ad fraud uses a highly stealthy mechanism, making it difficult for companies to detect and take action on their own, and it is essential to contact a specialist company for countermeasures.
Abnormal behavior
One of the damages caused by ad fraud is the occurrence of "abnormal behavior," such as a sudden drop in user activity rate to 10%, and then a few days later, users with an activity rate of 80% suddenly appearing.
Therefore, if you notice any unusual behavior that you would never normally expect, you should be concerned that ad fraud is occurring.
Click Flood
"Click flooding" is an ad fraud technique that fakes clicks when in fact no clicks have occurred.
Click flooding, also known as "click spam" or "click floating," is a type of ad fraud that occurs when rewarded users click on ads from multiple devices or when bots click on ads.
When click flooding occurs, the number of clicks increases unnaturally, making it relatively easy to spot.
Installation Validation
The series of mechanisms for verifying whether the installation has actually been performed is called "installation validation."
By using install validation, you can determine whether each install is valid or invalid, and if it is from the other side, it will be determined that the results will not be recognized. Basically, it can only be used if you are linked to Apple, so it will also become a criterion for distinguishing between ad fraud and genuine ads.
Install Hijacking
"Install hijacking" is a type of ad fraud that infects users' devices with malware and automatically performs actions such as clicking, displaying ads, and installing ads.
Install hijacking is a type of ad fraud that occurs depending on user behavior, so its characteristic is that post-conversion indicators do not worsen. One effective way to detect install hijacking is to measure the CTIT value, which is a value that represents the time from click to installation.
The reality is that many users who have fallen victim to install hijacking have a CTIT value of less than 10 seconds.
The risks of ad fraud
Ad fraud has been a problem on the Internet for decades, and as the Internet society evolves, ad fraudsters' methods have become more sophisticated.
Ad fraud has become a threat to many businesses today, but what kind of risks does it actually pose to businesses and users?
end up paying extra for advertising
When ad fraud occurs, advertising revenue is misappropriated, and advertisers are forced to bear additional advertising costs.
Currently, most digital ads use the Pay Per Click (PPC) method, which charges you every time an ad is clicked. If ad fraud, which fraudulently inflates clicks, increases, you will end up paying extra advertising costs that don't lead to any results.
There is a possibility that advertising money is flowing into antisocial forces.
Currently, online advertising continues to grow at a tremendous pace, and digital marketing is indispensable for the growth of companies. However, while digital marketing is growing, ad fraud methods are also becoming more sophisticated and expanding in scale, and there is a high possibility that the profits are flowing into anti-social forces.
According to a report by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), it is predicted that within the next 10 years, ad fraud revenues will become the second largest source of income for anti-social forces, behind drug trafficking such as cocaine and opium.
Although ad fraud is illegal, it poses less risk than, for example, drug trafficking, making it a very cost-effective business for anti-social forces.
Fraudulent advertising can damage your brand reputation
For a company, the reputation of its own brand is the most important thing, and once the value of the brand has fallen, it is extremely difficult to restore it. Therefore, companies must always be careful to ensure that no false information is posted on sites where their advertisements are displayed. If false, violent or inappropriate content is associated with the company's brand, the reputation of the company's brand will plummet.
On the other hand, ad fraudsters seeking to publish misinformation will try to make their main ad appear more credible by placing it next to an article containing the misinformation.
The reason why false ads can be displayed so widely is because many companies advertise through automated platforms, ultimately giving advertisers no control over the placement of their ads, which ends up damaging their brand by appearing next to fraudulent content.
Countermeasures against ad fraud
In order to improve the performance of the entire company, it is important to take measures against ad fraud and make digital marketing successful. Here we will introduce some highly effective measures that can prevent ad fraud in advance.
Set the right KPIs
By setting appropriate KPIs that emphasize quality over quantity of content, etc., it is possible to prevent the occurrence of ad fraud. By limiting advertising to media that provide high-quality content, the occurrence of ad fraud will naturally decrease.
Ultimately, this will lead to improved normal impressions and conversion rates, creating a cycle in which only high-quality content is recognized.
The formation of this healthy cycle will gradually lead to a reduction in ad fraud.
Blacklisting your advertising sites
For example, if an inappropriate site is displayed in response to your ad, if a site is not producing results despite being delivered frequently, or if it is displaying negative content toward advertisers, there is a high possibility that you are a victim of ad fraud.
Blacklisting such sites is also an important task in preventing ad fraud. By excluding blacklisted sites from your advertising destinations and carefully selecting the destinations where you place your ads, you can effectively prevent the damage caused by ad fraud.
Implement anti-ad fraud tools
As a countermeasure against ad fraud, we also recommend introducing an "ad verification tool" that can detect and prevent ad fraud in real time.
By utilizing ad verification tools, you can measure whether your company's ads are displayed on the right sites, whether there are any fraudulent clicks, etc. Also, by adopting these tools, measures against ad fraud can be made more efficient, allowing marketers to focus on their core tasks and improve their company's performance.
However, since implementing the tool will cost some money, we recommend that you compare the damage caused by ad fraud with the cost of the tool before considering its implementation. You can also use the "rough number of fraudulent users x CPI" to calculate the damage caused by ad fraud, so please make use of this.
Success stories in combating ad fraud
It is important for companies to proactively engage in digital marketing in order to improve their business performance, and measures against ad fraud are essential for this purpose. Here we will introduce some success stories of companies that have actually succeeded in taking measures against ad fraud.
SmartNews
SmartNews is one example of a company that has long been warning about the dangers of ad fraud and has successfully taken measures to combat it.
The company has been proactively implementing ad verification tools and working to combat ad fraud. As part of its activities, the company has successfully built a platform that is resistant to ad fraud by utilizing its own in-house servers to limit the ad networks it connects to. Furthermore, the company is thorough in its efforts to prevent damage to advertisers' brands in advance by only exchanging content with trusted publishers.
SmartNews is a success story in that it reduced the damage caused by ad fraud by taking such thorough measures.
iMobile Affiliate Case Study
iMobile Affiliate is a success story of a company that has implemented its own unique anti-ad fraud measures, including "whitelist delivery."
To further strengthen its measures against ad fraud, the company introduced "SpiderAF for app." SpiderAF for app is a success story that not only detects unauthorized access using a machine learning-based search engine, but also accumulates sophisticated ad fraud data, enabling sound advertising operations.
In addition, regulations luxembourg cell phone number list are now being strengthened not only against ad fraud, but also against accidental clicks and malicious ads that hinder quality improvement.
Gunosy Inc. Case Study
Gunosy Inc. is one of the companies that was quick to take action against ad fraud.
In 2019, the company achieved groundbreaking results by introducing "Adjust," an effectiveness measurement tool for combating ad fraud, to its most popular app, "Gunosy." By introducing Adjust, the company was able to automate the detection and removal of fraudulent ads, effectively preventing ad fraud.
In order to improve the overall business performance of a company, it is important to utilize app marketing in addition to traditional marketing methods. And in order to conduct effective app marketing, it can be said that taking thorough measures against ad fraud is also an important issue for companies.
Please use this article as a reference to take effective measures against ad fraud and ensure the success of your company's app marketing.
If bots spread across a site, advertisers will have to pay for ads even if users have not seen them. Furthermore, bots not only click on ads illegally, but also have a negative impact on funnel conversions such as "likes" on social media content and product reviews.
Device Farm
"Device farms" are a type of ad fraud scheme that involves repeatedly resetting the ID of a single device, making it appear as if the app has been downloaded from multiple devices.
This type of ad fraud uses a highly stealthy mechanism, making it difficult for companies to detect and take action on their own, and it is essential to contact a specialist company for countermeasures.
Abnormal behavior
One of the damages caused by ad fraud is the occurrence of "abnormal behavior," such as a sudden drop in user activity rate to 10%, and then a few days later, users with an activity rate of 80% suddenly appearing.
Therefore, if you notice any unusual behavior that you would never normally expect, you should be concerned that ad fraud is occurring.
Click Flood
"Click flooding" is an ad fraud technique that fakes clicks when in fact no clicks have occurred.
Click flooding, also known as "click spam" or "click floating," is a type of ad fraud that occurs when rewarded users click on ads from multiple devices or when bots click on ads.
When click flooding occurs, the number of clicks increases unnaturally, making it relatively easy to spot.
Installation Validation
The series of mechanisms for verifying whether the installation has actually been performed is called "installation validation."
By using install validation, you can determine whether each install is valid or invalid, and if it is from the other side, it will be determined that the results will not be recognized. Basically, it can only be used if you are linked to Apple, so it will also become a criterion for distinguishing between ad fraud and genuine ads.
Install Hijacking
"Install hijacking" is a type of ad fraud that infects users' devices with malware and automatically performs actions such as clicking, displaying ads, and installing ads.
Install hijacking is a type of ad fraud that occurs depending on user behavior, so its characteristic is that post-conversion indicators do not worsen. One effective way to detect install hijacking is to measure the CTIT value, which is a value that represents the time from click to installation.
The reality is that many users who have fallen victim to install hijacking have a CTIT value of less than 10 seconds.
The risks of ad fraud
Ad fraud has been a problem on the Internet for decades, and as the Internet society evolves, ad fraudsters' methods have become more sophisticated.
Ad fraud has become a threat to many businesses today, but what kind of risks does it actually pose to businesses and users?
end up paying extra for advertising
When ad fraud occurs, advertising revenue is misappropriated, and advertisers are forced to bear additional advertising costs.
Currently, most digital ads use the Pay Per Click (PPC) method, which charges you every time an ad is clicked. If ad fraud, which fraudulently inflates clicks, increases, you will end up paying extra advertising costs that don't lead to any results.
There is a possibility that advertising money is flowing into antisocial forces.
Currently, online advertising continues to grow at a tremendous pace, and digital marketing is indispensable for the growth of companies. However, while digital marketing is growing, ad fraud methods are also becoming more sophisticated and expanding in scale, and there is a high possibility that the profits are flowing into anti-social forces.
According to a report by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), it is predicted that within the next 10 years, ad fraud revenues will become the second largest source of income for anti-social forces, behind drug trafficking such as cocaine and opium.
Although ad fraud is illegal, it poses less risk than, for example, drug trafficking, making it a very cost-effective business for anti-social forces.
Fraudulent advertising can damage your brand reputation
For a company, the reputation of its own brand is the most important thing, and once the value of the brand has fallen, it is extremely difficult to restore it. Therefore, companies must always be careful to ensure that no false information is posted on sites where their advertisements are displayed. If false, violent or inappropriate content is associated with the company's brand, the reputation of the company's brand will plummet.
On the other hand, ad fraudsters seeking to publish misinformation will try to make their main ad appear more credible by placing it next to an article containing the misinformation.
The reason why false ads can be displayed so widely is because many companies advertise through automated platforms, ultimately giving advertisers no control over the placement of their ads, which ends up damaging their brand by appearing next to fraudulent content.
Countermeasures against ad fraud
In order to improve the performance of the entire company, it is important to take measures against ad fraud and make digital marketing successful. Here we will introduce some highly effective measures that can prevent ad fraud in advance.
Set the right KPIs
By setting appropriate KPIs that emphasize quality over quantity of content, etc., it is possible to prevent the occurrence of ad fraud. By limiting advertising to media that provide high-quality content, the occurrence of ad fraud will naturally decrease.
Ultimately, this will lead to improved normal impressions and conversion rates, creating a cycle in which only high-quality content is recognized.
The formation of this healthy cycle will gradually lead to a reduction in ad fraud.
Blacklisting your advertising sites
For example, if an inappropriate site is displayed in response to your ad, if a site is not producing results despite being delivered frequently, or if it is displaying negative content toward advertisers, there is a high possibility that you are a victim of ad fraud.
Blacklisting such sites is also an important task in preventing ad fraud. By excluding blacklisted sites from your advertising destinations and carefully selecting the destinations where you place your ads, you can effectively prevent the damage caused by ad fraud.
Implement anti-ad fraud tools
As a countermeasure against ad fraud, we also recommend introducing an "ad verification tool" that can detect and prevent ad fraud in real time.
By utilizing ad verification tools, you can measure whether your company's ads are displayed on the right sites, whether there are any fraudulent clicks, etc. Also, by adopting these tools, measures against ad fraud can be made more efficient, allowing marketers to focus on their core tasks and improve their company's performance.
However, since implementing the tool will cost some money, we recommend that you compare the damage caused by ad fraud with the cost of the tool before considering its implementation. You can also use the "rough number of fraudulent users x CPI" to calculate the damage caused by ad fraud, so please make use of this.
Success stories in combating ad fraud
It is important for companies to proactively engage in digital marketing in order to improve their business performance, and measures against ad fraud are essential for this purpose. Here we will introduce some success stories of companies that have actually succeeded in taking measures against ad fraud.
SmartNews
SmartNews is one example of a company that has long been warning about the dangers of ad fraud and has successfully taken measures to combat it.
The company has been proactively implementing ad verification tools and working to combat ad fraud. As part of its activities, the company has successfully built a platform that is resistant to ad fraud by utilizing its own in-house servers to limit the ad networks it connects to. Furthermore, the company is thorough in its efforts to prevent damage to advertisers' brands in advance by only exchanging content with trusted publishers.
SmartNews is a success story in that it reduced the damage caused by ad fraud by taking such thorough measures.
iMobile Affiliate Case Study
iMobile Affiliate is a success story of a company that has implemented its own unique anti-ad fraud measures, including "whitelist delivery."
To further strengthen its measures against ad fraud, the company introduced "SpiderAF for app." SpiderAF for app is a success story that not only detects unauthorized access using a machine learning-based search engine, but also accumulates sophisticated ad fraud data, enabling sound advertising operations.
In addition, regulations luxembourg cell phone number list are now being strengthened not only against ad fraud, but also against accidental clicks and malicious ads that hinder quality improvement.
Gunosy Inc. Case Study
Gunosy Inc. is one of the companies that was quick to take action against ad fraud.
In 2019, the company achieved groundbreaking results by introducing "Adjust," an effectiveness measurement tool for combating ad fraud, to its most popular app, "Gunosy." By introducing Adjust, the company was able to automate the detection and removal of fraudulent ads, effectively preventing ad fraud.
In order to improve the overall business performance of a company, it is important to utilize app marketing in addition to traditional marketing methods. And in order to conduct effective app marketing, it can be said that taking thorough measures against ad fraud is also an important issue for companies.
Please use this article as a reference to take effective measures against ad fraud and ensure the success of your company's app marketing.