CLICK FRAUD

Click Fraud

Table of Contents

1. Introduction paragraph about click fraud in today's world of online advertising3

2. Click Fraud:4

A. Explanation of what click fraud is, how did click fraud start, and how relevant is click fraud in online advertisement and who can commit click fraud.4

B. Different types of click fraud and who is behind them4

C. What is the motivation behind click fraud and why is it a growing problem6

3. Pay Per Click Advertising:7

A. What is online advertising and what are the concepts?7

B. What is pay per click advertising? How is it different then regular advertising and how does it generate revenue? How much dies pay per click advertising cost and what are the concepts?8

C. Is pay per click advertising a reputable way to do business? Does this really draw in consumers? And also who sponsors pay per click advertising and what are its benefits?8

4. How click fraud works9

A. How does the system of click fraud work? Who can commit click fraud and how do they do it?9

B. How does click fraud effect a company that the fraud is being committed to? Also how long it does takes for profit to be made off of click fraud?9

5. How click fraud can be detected, solutions, and how to prevent it:10

A. How can click fraud be detected? If and when is click fraud detected and how can you tell if it is an actual person committing the fraud or if it is a program?10

B. Explain how click fraud can be tracked through logs, log files, log data, and how it can be tracked through location. Also talk about Google's fraud detection system.11

C. How can you prevent click fraud?12

6. Legal Cases:13

A. What are the legal issues surrounding click fraud and how can action be taken?13

B. Some lawsuit examples of click fraud: Google (most legal issues), Yahoo, Microsoft.13

7. Conclusion15

References16

Click Fraud

1. Introduction paragraph about click fraud in today's world of online advertising

In the world of online advertising, the “click” has been causing quite the commotion. Many industry organizations and even business publications like The Wall Street Journal have reported on click fraud as an increasing problem in online advertising. As a result, Undertone Networks has identified three key best practices for agencies and advertisers to ensure the safety of online ads and the brands represented. (Brown, 2007)

Recently, click fraud has impacted many brands and publishers, including The New York Times and even Microsoft. Companies spend large amounts of money on online advertising and click fraud can cost brands not just ad dollars, but also credibility. In October, Click Forensics reported the overall industry average click fraud rate for Q3 2009 was 14.1 percent, up from 12.7 percent for Q2 2009. As advertisers, publishers and ad networks are getting smarter, so are the attackers. A recently uncovered click fraud ring run out of China involved 200,000 IP addresses and more than $3 million worth of fraudulent clicks.

2. Click Fraud:

A. Explanation of what click fraud is, how did click fraud start, and how relevant is click fraud in online advertisement ...