When Google was naming potential problems that could affect the company adversely in their IPO filing, they indicated PPC click fraud was one of their biggest worries.
Considering the report by Tim Yang, it appears as if Google may have even more to worry about when it comes to click fraud. Apparently, Tim received an email from an Indian company (or ad clicking syndicate, if you go by Tim’s description) offering to provide his site (which features AdSense) with 1000+ “unique” clicks. In return for these revenue-boosting fraudulent clicks, the syndicate wanted 50% of the revenue Tim collected.
Tim engaged the email’s author, Sanjay Das, in a back-and-forth that took a number of emails to complete (read Tim’s post for the discussion). The conversation was ended with Tim turning Sanjay’s offer down.
However, Tim’s post indicates one thing: click fraud is becoming so popular that people are offering their services as ad clickers. In fact, during Tim’s dealing with Sanjay, he received an additional offer that increased the initial click count from 1000+ to 5000+, further revealing how far click fraud as come. Not only do you have offers for ad clicking services, they also come complete with the haggling you’d expect from a used-car salesman.
As Jensense points out, until recently, click fraud was unheard of in the mainstream. But now, publications like the Wall Street Journal report on the concept.
I think it’s safe to say that once you start getting spam offers for fraudulent click services, the problem has officially reached mainstream status.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
