What is Mobile Ad Fraud?
Mobile ad fraud encompasses various deceptive techniques used to generate fake installs, clicks, or in-app events to steal advertising budgets. Fraudsters exploit the complexity of the mobile advertising ecosystem, costing advertisers billions of dollars annually through fabricated engagement that delivers zero real value.
Common Types of Mobile Ad Fraud
🔫 Click Injection
Malicious apps detect when other apps are being installed and fire fake clicks just before installation completes, hijacking organic installs and claiming attribution credit.
📢 Click Spamming
Mass generation of fake clicks from real devices hoping that some users will organically install the app, allowing fraudsters to claim credit for organic installs.
💻 SDK Spoofing
Sophisticated fraud that generates fake installs by mimicking real SDK traffic without any actual devices. Also called "replay attacks" or "traffic spoofing."
📱 Device Farms
Physical or emulated devices that repeatedly install apps, complete required actions, then reset device IDs to appear as new users.
🤖 Bots & Emulators
Automated software that simulates user behavior, generating fake installs and in-app events without any real human engagement.
🎠Attribution Fraud
Techniques that manipulate attribution models to claim credit for organic users or users acquired by legitimate channels.
How to Detect & Prevent Fraud
✅ Use MMP Fraud Tools
Leverage AppsFlyer Protect360, Adjust Fraud Prevention, or similar MMP fraud detection suites.
✅ Analyze CTIT
Click-to-Install Time analysis helps identify click injection (unusually short) and click spamming (random distribution).
✅ Monitor Anomalies
Watch for unusual patterns: sudden spikes, perfect metrics, impossible conversion rates, or concentrated geo patterns.
✅ Check Post-Install Events
Fraudulent installs rarely engage. Low Day-1 retention and absence of in-app events indicate fake users.
Red Flags to Watch For
Abnormal CTIT: Click-to-install times under 10 seconds (click injection) or extremely long random times (click spamming).
Low Retention: Day-1 retention below 5% is a strong indicator of fraudulent traffic.
No In-App Events: Users who install but never trigger any post-install events.
Geo Mismatches: Install locations that don't match targeting parameters or have impossible patterns.
Perfect CTR/CVR: Conversion rates that are too good to be true usually are.