Ad Fraud: What It Is and How to Protect Yourself

Ad fraud is a growing problem in the digital marketing industry. It occurs when advertisers are tricked into paying for impressions or clicks that are not genuine. This can cost businesses millions of dollars each year.

There are a number of different types of ad fraud, including:

• Click fraud: This occurs when someone clicks on an ad with the intention of generating revenue for the fraudster.
• Impression fraud: This occurs when an ad is served to someone who is not actually interested in it.
• Bot traffic: This occurs when automated bots are used to generate impressions or clicks.

Ad fraud can have a number of negative consequences for businesses, including:

• Lost revenue: Businesses that are victims of ad fraud can lose money by paying for impressions or clicks that are not genuine.
• Damaged reputation: If businesses are found to be running fraudulent ad campaigns, their reputation can be damaged.
• Increased costs: Businesses may need to increase their ad budgets in order to compensate for the lost revenue due to ad fraud.

There are a number of things that businesses can do to protect themselves from ad fraud, including:

• Use a digital media auditing consultancy: A digital media auditing consultancy can help businesses to identify and mitigate ad fraud.
• Use a fraud detection solution: There are a number of fraud detection solutions available that can help businesses to identify fraudulent activity.
• Educate your team: It is important to educate your team about ad fraud so that they can be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

Vivido.ai is a digital media auditing consultancy that can help businesses to identify and mitigate ad fraud. vivido.ai uses a combination of human expertise and machine learning to identify fraudulent activity. vivido.ai also offers a number of fraud detection solutions that can help businesses to protect themselves from ad fraud.

Here are some additional tips for reducing ad fraud:

• Use multiple ad networks: By using multiple ad networks, you can reduce the risk of being targeted by fraudsters.
• Use a variety of ad formats: Fraudsters are more likely to target ads that are in high demand, such as video ads. By using a variety of ad formats, you can make it more difficult for fraudsters to target your ads.
• Monitor your ad performance: It is important to monitor your ad performance closely so that you can identify any suspicious activity. If you see any unusual spikes in impressions or clicks, it is important to investigate further.

By following these tips, you can help to reduce the risk of your business being affected by ad fraud.