Gaming Fraud - A threat from clickbots and fake gamers

In the dynamic landscape of online gaming, digital advertisers and publishers are often at the mercy of evolving technologies, and unfortunately, that includes fraudulent activities. Clickbots, the malicious agents behind many forms of ad fraud, have found a new playground in the world of gaming. This is a matter of urgent importance as more than 34 per cent of gaming and betting traffic is from invalid sources, which is heightened compared to the e-commerce sector, which reports 24 per cent invalid traffic.

This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for the gaming industry to fortify its defences against such attacks and maintain an environment of trust and authenticity. In this blog, we will delve deep into how gaming ad fraud takes place and what are the consequences and preventive measures for the same.

What is gaming ad fraud?

Gaming ad fraud involves fraudulent activities in the gaming ecosystem which has millions of online players at any given point of time. Clickbots infiltrate the gaming ecosystem with the intent to mimic genuine user interactions, thereby generating fake engagement metrics that can deceive advertisers and publishers. These clickbots emulate the behaviour of legitimate gamers, artificially inflating click-through rates, installs, and other user engagement metrics. The process involves automated scripts that repeatedly click on ads, simulate installations, and even mimic in-game actions. Such orchestrated activities create a mirage of user interest, leading advertisers to allocate budgets to campaigns that appear to be performing well, when, in reality, they are reaching an audience of virtual non-existence.

What does the ad fraud scene look like?

While click fraud is one of the most common techniques of impersonating genuine users and interacting with ads to inflate impressions, there are other techniques used by fraudsters to deceive advertisers and exploit their marketing budgets.

How does gaming ad fraud affect advertisers and publishers?

1. Budget Depletion- Advertisers invest in campaigns based on performance metrics, but gaming ad fraud inflates engagement metrics, leading to wasted budgets.
2. Misguided Decisions- Inaccurate metrics distort campaign analysis, making it hard for advertisers to make informed decisions about their strategies.
   
3. Reputation Erosion- Publishers face reputational damage when fraudulent activities are discovered, eroding trust with partners and advertisers.
   
4. Trust Deficit- Advertisers become wary of partnerships due to previous encounters with fraud, reducing overall trust in the gaming ecosystem.
5. User Experience Impact- Genuine gamers suffer from irrelevant ads and poor user experiences due to skewed targeting caused by fraudulent activities.

Preventive Measures to Avoid Gaming Ad Fraud

1. Ad Verification Solutions- The primary technique is to employ robust ad verification tools like ClearTrust that can differentiate between genuine users and clickbots-generated interactions. With advanced reporting and stringer behavioural analysis, such solutions can help you take informed decisions.
2. Real-time Monitoring- Continuously monitor user behaviour patterns to identify irregularities that may indicate fraudulent activities. This can include clicks originating from a single source and at different durations of the day which clearly indicates the existence of spam. Once these behaviours are analyzed, monitor them for a fair period of time and ensure that similar metrics are thoroughly studied to take preventive measures.
   
3. Transparency and Guidelines- While choosing publishers, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines and maintain transparency throughout the campaign lifecycle. This involves analyzing the track record of the publisher in dealing with invalid traffic and the quality of inventories possessed. Looking for publishers that are integrated with ad fraud detection software would be an added advantage.