Table of Contents
Global Ad Fraud Overview
Ad fraud has become one of the biggest challenges in digital advertising, with losses growing exponentially each year. These headline statistics demonstrate the scale of the problem facing advertisers in 2026.
Ad fraud caused advertisers to lose $84 billion in 2023, equating to 22% of global ad spend. Losses are projected to reach $172 billion by 2028, making ad fraud one of the largest criminal enterprises globally.
Global ad fraud losses (2023)
Source: Juniper Research
Percentage of ad spend lost to fraud
Source: Juniper Research
Projected losses by 2028
Source: Juniper Research
Impressions showing invalid traffic signals
Source: DoubleVerify
US advertiser dollars affected annually
Source: ANA/White Ops
Search clicks from non-genuine sources
Source: ClickCease
The Scale of Ad Fraud
- Growing threat: Ad fraud losses have doubled in the past 5 years and continue to accelerate
- Criminal enterprise: Ad fraud is now the second-largest organised crime revenue source after drug trafficking
- Sophisticated attacks: 72% of ad fraud now involves sophisticated bot networks that mimic human behaviour
- Detection gaps: Industry studies suggest only 40-60% of fraud is detected by platform filters
- Mobile vulnerability: Mobile ad fraud represents 25% of total losses, growing at 30% annually
Click Fraud by Platform
Different advertising platforms experience varying levels of click fraud. Understanding platform-specific fraud rates helps advertisers allocate budgets and implement appropriate protection measures.
Google Ads experiences an average invalid click rate of 11.5%, while programmatic display advertising sees rates as high as 25-30% on some networks. Meta/Facebook reports lower fraud rates due to walled-garden approach.
Average invalid click rate on Google Ads
Source: ClickCease
Programmatic display fraud rates
Source: DoubleVerify
Meta/Facebook invalid traffic rate
Source: Industry Reports
In-app advertising fraud rate
Source: AppsFlyer
Platform-Specific Insights
- Google Search: 11.5% average invalid click rate, with competitive industries seeing 15-20%
- Google Display Network: Higher fraud rates of 15-25% due to partner sites with less verification
- YouTube: 8-12% invalid view rate, primarily from bot networks and view farms
- Meta platforms: Lower rates of 6-8% due to closed ecosystem and user verification
- Programmatic: Highest fraud rates at 25-30%, especially on less reputable ad exchanges
- Native advertising: 12-18% invalid traffic rate, often from low-quality content farms
Click Fraud by Device
Device type significantly impacts fraud rates. Desktop traffic traditionally sees higher fraud due to easier bot deployment, though mobile fraud is growing rapidly.
Desktop traffic shows the highest invalid traffic rate at 27.03%, while mobile devices experience 19.30% IVT. iOS devices see lower fraud rates (25%) than Android (31%) due to stricter app verification.
Desktop IVT rate
Source: DoubleVerify
Mobile IVT rate
Source: DoubleVerify
Tablet IVT rate
Source: DoubleVerify
iOS vs Android fraud rates
Source: AppsFlyer
Device Fraud Patterns
- Desktop dominance: Desktop fraud accounts for 60% of total click fraud value due to higher CPCs
- Android vulnerability: Android devices see 24% higher fraud rates than iOS due to sideloading
- SDK spoofing: Mobile SDK spoofing accounts for 35% of mobile ad fraud
- Click injection: Click injection affects 12% of Android app install campaigns
- Connected TV: CTV fraud rates are relatively low at 2-5% but growing with adoption
Regional Click Fraud Data
Fraud rates vary significantly by geographic region, influenced by regulation, infrastructure, and economic factors. Understanding regional patterns helps with geo-targeting decisions.
Asia-Pacific shows the highest invalid traffic rate at 27.85%, while Europe has the lowest at 7.80%. The United States falls in the middle at 23.69%, with China alone accounting for $18.7 billion in annual ad fraud losses.
Asia-Pacific IVT rate (highest)
Source: DoubleVerify
Europe IVT rate (lowest)
Source: DoubleVerify
United States IVT rate
Source: DoubleVerify
China ad fraud losses
Source: Juniper Research
Regional Fraud by Market
| Region | IVT Rate | Est. Annual Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | 27.85% | $28B+ |
| North America | 23.69% | $37B |
| Latin America | 19.45% | $4.2B |
| Middle East & Africa | 15.32% | $2.8B |
| Europe | 7.80% | $8.5B |
Why Europe Has Lower Fraud
- GDPR compliance: Stricter data regulations reduce click farm profitability
- Payment verification: European ad networks often require stronger advertiser verification
- Publisher standards: Higher quality thresholds for publisher networks
- Enforcement: Active prosecution of ad fraud as criminal activity
Types of Click Fraud
Click fraud takes many forms, from simple competitor clicking to sophisticated bot networks. Understanding the different types helps in implementing appropriate countermeasures.
Bot networks account for 40% of all click fraud, followed by competitor click fraud at 18-25%. Domain spoofing alone cost advertisers $7.2 billion in 2024, making it the fastest-growing fraud type.
Click fraud from bot networks
Source: ClickCease
Competitor click fraud
Source: Industry Reports
Domain spoofing losses (2024)
Source: TAG
Affiliate fraud losses
Source: CHEQ
Fraud Type Breakdown
- Bot networks: 40% of fraud - Automated bots that simulate human clicks at scale
- Competitor clicking: 18-25% - Competitors deliberately exhausting your ad budget
- Click farms: 15% - Low-wage workers paid to click ads manually
- Domain spoofing: 12% - Fraudsters pretending to be premium publishers
- Ad stacking: 8% - Multiple ads layered on single placement, only one visible
- Pixel stuffing: 5% - Ads rendered in 1x1 pixel iframes to generate impressions
Sophisticated Bot Characteristics
- Mouse movement mimicry: 72% of modern bots simulate human mouse patterns
- Session duration: Advanced bots maintain realistic 2-3 minute session durations
- Geographic distribution: Bot networks use residential IPs across multiple countries
- Browser fingerprinting: Bots now rotate fingerprints to avoid detection
Industry Impact
Click fraud doesn't affect all industries equally. High-value industries with expensive CPCs are particularly attractive targets for fraudsters, while small businesses face disproportionate impact relative to their budgets.
Small businesses are especially vulnerable to click fraud, with invalid traffic eating up as much as 30% of their advertising budget. With average small business ad budgets of $2,500/month, this represents $750/month in wasted spend.
Budget loss for small businesses
Source: ClickCease
Fraud rate in legal/insurance verticals
Source: Industry Reports
Affiliate marketing fraud
Source: CHEQ
SMBs unaware of click fraud
Source: Survey
High-Risk Industries
- Legal services: 25-30% fraud rate due to $50+ CPCs making fraud highly profitable
- Insurance: 20-25% fraud rate, especially in high-value policy markets
- Finance: 18-22% fraud rate, targeting expensive financial service keywords
- Healthcare: 15-20% fraud rate, particularly in addiction treatment and medical procedures
- Real estate: 15-18% fraud rate in competitive metropolitan markets
Small Business Vulnerability
- Limited monitoring: 45% of small businesses don't know if they're victims of click fraud
- No protection: 62% of SMBs don't use any click fraud protection tools
- Budget impact: Small businesses lose an average of $750/month to click fraud
- Competitive markets: Local service businesses face significant competitor clicking
- Recovery difficulty: Obtaining Google Ads credits for fraud requires documentation most SMBs lack
Protecting Your Campaigns
While click fraud can't be completely eliminated, there are steps you can take to minimise its impact:
- Monitor patterns: Watch for sudden spikes in clicks without conversions
- IP exclusions: Block suspicious IP addresses showing repetitive clicking
- Geographic targeting: Exclude high-fraud regions if not relevant to your business
- Fraud protection tools: Consider third-party click fraud protection software
- Regular audits: Review Search Terms reports for irrelevant or suspicious queries
About This Data
These click fraud statistics are compiled from Juniper Research, DoubleVerify, ClickCease, AppsFlyer, TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group), CHEQ, and industry surveys. Data represents 2025-2026 measurements where available.
Important note: Fraud rates vary significantly by industry, platform, and geographic region. These figures represent industry averages and your actual fraud exposure may differ.