Fraudlogix on Identifying, Detecting, and Terminating Ad Fraud from Campaigns

August 10, 2016 

Fraudlogix is an online advertising fraud detection company that builds custom solutions for the supply side (ad networks, exchanges and SSPs) and DSPs within the online advertising marketplace.  
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Our technology is pixel-based, where a pixel piggybacks on an ad tag or creative and then “touches” the end user and collects a host of data. We analyze two separate sets of data for evidence of fraud: a digital dataset and a behavioral dataset. The IP address, referring URL and the user agent are basic examples of digital data. Forged user agents, IP rotation and scripts are examples of behavior data. We typically identify from 15 to 25 behaviors per transaction. These behaviors can identify malware, Trojans, and bots. Before determining if an ad impression is possibly fraudulent, it must possess a combination of fraudulent characteristics.
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A lot of fraudsters operate by creating fake websites and then sourcing or creating fake traffic to visit the site. They then sell their ad inventory through a network or exchange. A brand can fall prey to ad fraud by simply going to an exchange (even a reputable one) and programmatically buying impressions that target the same demographic that the fraudsters’ fake impressions look to be serving.
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What we would like to see is fraud filtered out from the supply side of the programmatic ecosystem, where it enters the system and before it makes its way down stream to the brands and advertisers. The industry has traditionally fought ad fraud from the demand side but that’s like playing whack-a-mole, and an advertiser will never win. If the industry is serious about eliminating fraud, we need to monitor 100 percent of traffic, not just the highest-paying CPMs, and we need to do it from the supply side.
http://www.thalamus.co/blog/fraudlogix-ad-fraud-interview/