Fraudulent traffic is considered to be one of the most annoying problems in affiliate marketing for a reason. It’s hardly surprising. What can be more unpleasant than paying affiliates for conversions that do not generate real revenue for affiliate networks and advertisers?
Affiliate fraud is more than meets the eye in terms of wasting their marketing budgets. Some advertisers may mistakenly assume that fraudsters steal just a tiny bit of your profits, but real numbers can come as a shock. Juniper Research forecasts digital advertisers’ total losses due to fraud to reach $100 billion by 2023. Considering its growth from $3.9 billion in 2017 to $42 billion in 2019, the forecast sounds rather realistic.
Yet, you can’t avoid fraud while doing business online unless you take measures that would protect your business and clients against fraudsters. Many established advertisers consider using anti-fraud solutions essential for starting a partnership with a network. The same applies to top tier affiliates when they join a partner program.