What is Click Fraud?

Click fraud, legally speaking (Juju, Inc v. Native Media, LLC, No. 19-402-CFC, 2020 WL 3208800 (D. Del., June 15, 2020) refers to an event when an online advertising service enhances its perceived value by inflating the number of users who click on the ads.

Non-legally speaking, click fraud is the wrongful act of clicking on PPC (pay-per-click) ads for any reason with malicious intent.
For example, to artificially increase site revenue or to exhaust a company’s advertising budget.

Is it different than Invalid Clicks?
Yes, click fraud differs from repeated clicks or clicks made by the ad’s host/publisher (i.e. invalid clicks) in that it is intentional, malicious, and has no potential for conversion.
Click fraud happens with PPC advertising and involves anyone or anything that is clicking on your paid search advertising with no intention of purchasing something.

Is click-fraud illegal?
Yes it is although it became an officially illegal practice only in June 2020. United States Magistrate Judge Christopher J. Burke of the District of Delaware recently held that click fraud violates the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 18 U.S.C 1030 (“CFAA”).

What can I do to prevent click fraud?
A simple way to stop current fraudulent clicks as well as preventing future ones, is to invest in a click fraud prevention software.
PPC Shield’s top-notch system detects all kinds of fraudulent clicks, maximizes your conversion potential, and provides you with trustworthy data based on which you can strategize your ppc campaigns.
We save you up to 20% of your PPC budget from being hijacked by fraudsters so you can reinvest it and make additional earnings!

Interested in reading more? Check out our blog article on everything you need to know about click fraud