Mobile advertising is currently at an all-time high, and this trend is expected to continue. The rise of mobile usage and internet penetration have led to advertisers investing more in mobile advertising. However, like other online activities, mobile advertising has its challenges, with click injection being a significant form of mobile ad fraud.
Click injection is a sophisticated digital crime where fraudsters manipulate last-click attribution to steal credit from the actual source of an install. It is estimated to impact over a quarter of all mobile advertising campaigns globally, with cases increasing to 27% in 2018. Fraudsters make money from click injection, while marketers lose valuable campaign budgets. This type of fraud not only harms campaign ROI but also damages a brand’s credibility.
Click injection works similarly to a hidden spy camera in marketing campaigns. Scammers rely on click spamming to get credit for the last click in a cost-per-install (CPI) campaign. They download an app on Android smartphones to monitor activity and alert them when users download a new app. They then send users fake clicks just before the installation process is complete.
Click injection affects every stakeholder in the mobile advertising ecosystem, including networks, publishers, and advertisers. It degrades the end-user experience and harms the reputation of networks, publishers, and advertisers besides causing financial losses. Advertisers are the most affected party, with click injection leading to drained ad budgets, stolen real conversions, and manipulated analytics.
To protect your brand from click injection fraud, you should analyze your data to identify potential fraud, choose a reliable marketing partner, and use a fraud detection solution. Advanced ad traffic validation is the best option to eliminate and protect ad campaigns throughout the marketing funnel.
In conclusion, click injection is a harmful and widespread mobile ad fraud, and taking steps to protect your brand from it is crucial. Be proactive and vigilant to ensure you don’t lose advertising budgets, potential revenue, or credibility due to this type of fraud.
