What is click fraud?

Click fraud is deliberate clicks to PPC search engine ads for completely other reasons than expressing interest for buying related products or services.

Overture defines click fraud as clicks arising for reasons other than good-faith intention of an Internet user to visit a web site to purchase goods or services or to obtain information.

Google defines click fraud, or invalid clicks, as any method used to artificially and/or maliciously generate clicks or page impressions.

In simple words, Click fraud means that someone is cheating you and that you pay too much for your pay per click campaigns.

Who is doing that?

Three main groups click on pay per click ads, without real interest in offered goods:

People who join Google AdSense or other per click affiliate programs click on ads on their own web site to make a little income. Often, these people cooperate with other webmasters to click on each other's ads.

Some unethical companies click on pay per click ads of competitors to drive up their advertising costs.

Companies (often in India, Russia and China) hire people who are paid to click on ads. Google and other search networks provide refunds to advertisers when click fraud has been discovered.

Awhile back scammers sent an e-mail supposedly from FBI. The address seemed to be fbi.gov, and message told you that you had accessed illegal websites and that your Internet use had been monitored by FBI’s “Internet Fraud Complaint Center.” You were then told to open an attachment and answer some questions. The FBI says that this e-mail is a scam. If you open that attachment your computer will be infected with a virus, tracking cookie, or trojan horse.

•Anti-scam rule 1: Even trusted government agencies can have their addresses stolen. A trusted government agency will not ask you to open an attachment.

Another extremely vicious e-mail identifies itself as Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-039, and offers a link to what it claims is a patch against Sober Zafi and Mytob worms. In fact, there is no such thing as Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-039, and real Microsoft security bulletins offer links to a Microsoft download site, rather than to patches themselves. If you click on this supposed patch, you will be infected with malicious software that gives attackers complete access to your computer.

•Anti-scam rule 2: If you want to download something from Microsoft or another legitimate organization, do not click on an e-mail. Go to their official site and download it there. That’s safe way to proceed.

THE “eBAY ATTACK”

The scam e-mails seeking my eBay account information started out low key. “Dear eBay customer, During our regularly scheduled account maintenance and verification procedures, we have detected a slight error in your billing information.”