An Insight by Kenneth Wong
APAC Regional Strategy Director at M&C Saatchi Performance
According to the latest reports from Tune 2017, mobile app fraud is worth $1 billion. The exact number is extremely difficult to say, mainly due to the evolving nature of app fraud, making it more difficult to detect and prevent. Mobile attribution provider, Adjust, state mobile app fraud rates have almost doubled compared to 2017. This is only a snapshot of the true total, capturing solely the amount of ad fraud that is detected and prevented by advertisers. Much more fraud slips past the measures taken for protection, and the actual amount is significantly higher, a serious reason for concern for performance marketing agencies, from whom accuracy is paramount.
Companies around the world are coming up with fraud detection and prevention technologies. For the industry, it is important to stay vigilant and for all the stakeholders in the adtech ecosystem to take collective responsibility. This is important, primarily because fraudsters are always a few steps ahead of the curve, coming up with new and innovative ways to defraud the system. For instance, the latest trend in ad fraud is SDK Spoofing – a form of mobile performance fraud which generates legitimate-looking installs without any real installs occurring.
App fraud is a low risk, high reward business. More than cooperation, regulation is needed. The current system of self-regulation has proven to be unsuccessful in preventing fraud. I will be discussing this topic in more detail at Mobile World Congress Shanghai with my talk “The 800 Pound Gorilla in Mobile: App Fraud and What to Do,” presenting at the Tomorrow’s Operator Summit on Thursday, June 28th from 16.30-16.45 in auditorium B.
To join Kenneth and M&C Saatchi Performance at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, please feel free to use our discount code at registration: PGP30NPZUE
If you would like to discuss the status of app fraud as well as possible solutions in more detail, get in touch with us today.
