| Last issue you may recall reading "A Tale of | | | | In my opinion, Google has already been on the |
| Two Duplicities." Now you can enjoy the third | | | | ball in detecting click fraud for quite some |
| and final saga in this trilogy of Internet | | | | time. Communicating this news to the public |
| shenanigans! | | | | is done in order to reassure the nervous |
| | | | nellies of our space. |
| This had been a notable week in terms of the | | | | |
| deluge of news articles regarding Internet | | | | What you can do to avoid this from happening |
| fraud. Perhaps the summer heat and the | | | | to you: If you're a paid search advertiser, |
| forecast of temperatures rising into the 100s | | | | certain tracking and analytics software |
| have an overall noxious effect on people's | | | | packages offer fraud detection tools. Keyword |
| behavior, compelling them to acquire the | | | | MAX for example offers a device called Click |
| demeanor of cyber-villains in the same way | | | | Auditor that appears on your screen as a |
| that a full moon has been known to induce | | | | gauge that looks like a speedometer, only |
| aggressiveness. Whatever the case may be, | | | | instead of indicating speed, it detects the |
| here is a recap that pushes the limits of the | | | | degree of fraud in your various paid search |
| imagination: | | | | accounts. Paid search providers can detect an |
| | | | invalid click if it comes through a proxy |
| I. The Trojan Horse and The Space Out | | | | server, through which a robot can send a |
| | | | request from more than one IP address. |
| Remarkably, an online advertiser managed to | | | | |
| insert the coding of a Trojan horse program | | | | Click fraud unfortunately happens, but with |
| into a banner advertisement running on the | | | | the proper tools, training, experience, and |
| network. Visitors using older versions of | | | | gut feeling, you can reduce the threat that |
| Internet Explorer may have been infected. In | | | | it poses to you. |
| effect, the way older versions of this | | | | |
| browser process Windows Metafile images would | | | | III. And the winner this week is... The |
| have left them vulnerable to both hackers and | | | | Return of For those of you unfamiliar with |
| adware programs alike. All of the estimates | | | | the story, allow me to regale you with a tale |
| I've read indicated that the number may have | | | | of adventure and woe that begins (or rather |
| been over one million users. | | | | continues) in Providence Rhode Island. About |
| | | | a year ago, a company called scammed both |
| The Trojan horse coding itself does not | | | | small time individual shoppers and large |
| distribute the unwanted pop up ads that | | | | online resellers out of several millions of |
| plague infected computers. Rather, a Trojan | | | | dollars. Taking on the façade of a |
| horse covertly installs itself onto the | | | | legitimate company for over six months, |
| user's computers opening a line of | | | | offered deals that seemed too good to be |
| communication with an outside server that | | | | true, and that's just what they were. Trendy |
| downloads adware programs and other malware | | | | electronic devices, such as razor phones, |
| onto the users' hard drives. I wonder why | | | | were sold through their website at a discount |
| online advertisers are willing to subject | | | | that could make New Yorkers smile in |
| themselves to lawsuits and criminal | | | | reminiscence of the frantic Crazy Eddy |
| prosecution by choosing a ride on the Trojan | | | | commercials we used to see on TV. The only |
| horse?? | | | | thing unusual was a slight problem in |
| | | | fulfilling orders, a slight problem totaling |
| What you can do to avoid this from happening | | | | several millions of dollars. |
| to you: A tech-savvy friend once told me to | | | | |
| download Mozilla Firefox as a way to avoid | | | | The venture ended in fiasco, when the FBI |
| having my computer infected by simply | | | | raided the Providence office, but not before |
| visiting a page with a Trojan type program on | | | | the founder could escape and continue a life |
| it. Internet Explorer has also developed a | | | | on the lam. He was recently discovered |
| patch that resolves this vulnerability to | | | | running a similar operation, this time in |
| Windows Metafile images for aficionados who | | | | Albuquerque, New Mexico. It turns out his |
| are loyal to this browser. If you're a | | | | lifestyle could easily be placed in the |
| content publisher looking to earn revenue by | | | | context of a Sherlock Holmes novel or on the |
| displaying banner ads on your site, you | | | | movie set of Catch Me If You Can, as he has |
| should set in place a system of monitoring | | | | been defrauding some pretty sharp people |
| banner ads that you receive from your | | | | while under pseudonyms and living in an |
| individual advertisers. Content publishers | | | | opulence that would make even the Count of |
| using third party advertising networks to | | | | Monte Cristo feel ashamedly poor. It's |
| distribute banners on websites, should make | | | | believed he still continues to evade |
| sure their networks have taken appropriate | | | | unsmiling authorities who fail to see the |
| measures to screen the banners before | | | | humor in his shenanigans. |
| distribution. | | | | |
| | | | What you can do to prevent this from |
| II. Click Fraud Practitioners Beware! | | | | happening to you: When making an online |
| | | | purchase, it's a good idea to check out what |
| Google is becoming even more proactive. Guys: | | | | people are saying about the company in online |
| do you remember your high school quarterback | | | | forums, especially if you're thinking about |
| who was good looking, got into an Ivy League | | | | shelling out some serious coinage. For |
| on a full scholarship, and yet still managed | | | | example, a poster on vented "DO NOT BUY FROM |
| to be humble about it? Didn't it annoy you! | | | | THEM! This business is a scam--they charge |
| That must be how Google makes the competition | | | | you on the day you order, but you'll never |
| feel. Last week, an Information Systems | | | | get it," on March 12th 2005. A steady flow of |
| Professor at NYU by the name of Dr. Alexander | | | | complaints regarding non-deliverability and |
| Tuzhilin indicated that Google is and has | | | | unwillingness to grant refunds occupied this |
| been taking appropriate measures to handle | | | | same forum for since December of 2005. |
| the problem of click fraud for the benefit of | | | | |
| their advertisers. According to Tuzhilin, | | | | Usually, such forum threads will turn up on a |
| Google's team of Click Quality inspectors | | | | search engine when looking for the company |
| systematically covers all four corners of | | | | name. If you have doubts, don't simply go by |
| "pre-filtering, online filtering, automated | | | | what's written on the company website even if |
| offline detection, and manual offline | | | | chances are it is true: was after all |
| detection" while screening for invalid | | | | approved by the Better Business Bureau of |
| clicks. | | | | Rhode Island, which did eventually revoke its |
| | | | membership. However this was only done on |
| Furthermore, a New York Times article | | | | April 17th 2006, well after FBI agents raided |
| indicates that Google plans on telling | | | | the headquarters under the authorization of a |
| advertisers how many clicks are fraudulent. | | | | federal search warrant on March 27th. Word of |
| This transparency would be most reassuring, | | | | mouth may simply be one or two disgruntled |
| but for me this comes as no surprise. I | | | | customers blowing off some steam, but if a |
| remember receiving notice from Google that I | | | | torrent of complaints appears about a |
| had received a reimbursement in my Adwords | | | | recently-founded company on forums, it should |
| account without me even having to ask for it. | | | | raise some red flags. |