How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
1–10 of 108 posts
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#2> This means a significant portion of the millions of Android phone owners who downloaded these apps were secretly tracked as they scrolled and clicked inside the application. By copying actual user behavior in the apps, the fraudsters were able to generate fake traffic that bypassed major fraud detection systems.
So the fraudsters essentially did what Google is best at -- tracking and making 'use' of the information.
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#3I seems to me that - besides the specific fraud scheme in the article - there is something else to be worried about.
From the article:
>The revelation of this scheme shows just how deeply fraud is embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, the vast sums being stolen from brands, and the overall failure of the industry to stop it.
And, more relevant:
>Pixalate’s latest analysis of in-app fraud found that 23% of all ad impressions in mobile apps are in some way fraudulent.
Now, if the numbers are correct and 23% of ad impressions is fraudulent, it should mean that either:
1) the firms/brands/whatever that are paying for these ads cannot measure with a sufficient degree of accuracy the results of these ads
2) they perfectly know that more than 1/5 of their ads expense is having "null" results but overall they are ok to spend the 100% price for less than 80% "real" impressions
If the first hypothesis is true there is some incompetence around, if the second, it's business as usual.
I believe more likely the #2 to be true, and since the companies/brands/etc. insist on it, this 20-25% "surcharge" is a "standard" of sorts.
So,hypothetically , if these frauds would be completely eradicated and the companies would continue to invest the same amount of money in ads, we are doomed to see 20-25% more ads than we do now.
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#4I seems to me that - besides the specific fraud scheme in the article - there is something else to be worried about. From the article: >The revelation of this scheme shows just how deeply fraud is embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, the vast sums being stolen from brands, and the overall failure of the industry to stop it. And, more relevant: >Pixalate’s latest analysis of in-app fraud found that 23% of al…
> they perfectly know that more than 1/5 of their ads expense is having "null" results but overall they are ok to spend the 100% price for less than 80% "real" impressions
Don't ad companies charge fees as a function of spend? The chumps in this chain are (a) shareholders and (b) the managers hiring the agencies.
(Counterfactual: if this spend is that useless, it should be possible to start a competitor that focuses on high-ROI advertising.)
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#5I seems to me that - besides the specific fraud scheme in the article - there is something else to be worried about. From the article: >The revelation of this scheme shows just how deeply fraud is embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, the vast sums being stolen from brands, and the overall failure of the industry to stop it. And, more relevant: >Pixalate’s latest analysis of in-app fraud found that 23% of al…
I think those buying advertising know that the ad networks' metrics are hopelessly broken, that fraud is rampant, and that their actual impressions are far less than reported. But the problem is pervasive and spans the entire ad industry, so what are they to do, other than throw in as much money as possible and hope for the best?
I recently saw a comment (can't remember where) from someone involved in an advertising startup ostensibly focused on serving unintrusive ads with accurate reporting, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive: ad buyers expressed profound relief at seeing ad metrics that actually made sense.
I don't think we can make too many assumptions about how spending would change if ad metrics were actually accurate, simply because the current metrics are so bad, and the impressions so fraudulent, that the current ad spending is largely uninformed. If the metrics were accurate, ad buyers might very well end up spending less while getting more for their money, because they can suddenly make informed decisions.
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#6I'm always curious how exactly the fraud detection happens. Is Pixalate doing network analysis? App Analysis? Could I do the same thing myself with wireshark on my home network?
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#7I seems to me that - besides the specific fraud scheme in the article - there is something else to be worried about. From the article: >The revelation of this scheme shows just how deeply fraud is embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, the vast sums being stolen from brands, and the overall failure of the industry to stop it. And, more relevant: >Pixalate’s latest analysis of in-app fraud found that 23% of al…
"Impressions" is a rather meaningless metric.
If A$ = B impressions = C clicks = D sales then the amount of fraud is irrelevant it's just a question of A$ = D sales from the advertisers perspective.
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#8This is Mathijs from AppBrain.
The app mentioned at the start of the article used Admob and Adcolony it seems: https://www.appbrain.com/app/emoji-switcher-root/com.stevens... and was taken down on October 2nd.
Another app implied in this scheme used 15 ad networks (including Admob, Facebook Audience Network and Twitter's Mopub) and was just taken down 6 days ago: https://www.appbrain.com/app/wheel-of-surprise-eggs/com.thom...
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#9I seems to me that - besides the specific fraud scheme in the article - there is something else to be worried about. From the article: >The revelation of this scheme shows just how deeply fraud is embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, the vast sums being stolen from brands, and the overall failure of the industry to stop it. And, more relevant: >Pixalate’s latest analysis of in-app fraud found that 23% of al…
While the specifics are new, the issue of churn and waste in advertising very much isn't. John Wanamaker famous quote, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half" is from the 1900s.
Re: How a Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Exploited Android Phones to Steal Millions
#10I seems to me that - besides the specific fraud scheme in the article - there is something else to be worried about. From the article: >The revelation of this scheme shows just how deeply fraud is embedded in the digital advertising ecosystem, the vast sums being stolen from brands, and the overall failure of the industry to stop it. And, more relevant: >Pixalate’s latest analysis of in-app fraud found that 23% of al…
"Impressions" is a rather meaningless metric. If A$ = B impressions = C clicks = D sales then the amount of fraud is irrelevant it's just a question of A$ = D sales from the advertisers perspective.
Depends. Are the ads direct or banding? Coke ads to have you buy offline for example, the sales are not so easily tracked.