India has the dubious honour of accounting for almost one-tenth of the world's digital ad frauds, according to a new study. Most of it happens on digital commerce, with ad frauds through apps taking up as much as a whopping 85 per cent of it.
According to techARC, a Gurgaon-based tech consultancy and research agency, India's share of digital ad fraud stood at $1.63 billion, taking up 8.7 per cent of all reported ad frauds from around the world. The figures pertain to 2018.
Digital ad frauds normally refer to stealing of data and personal information from unsuspecting users of online services, anything from clicking on links to quizzes and other external ads from social media pages like Facebook, to e-shopping and mobile apps. Gaming apps and sites are a major worry when it comes to digital ad frauds, according to sources.
While app frauds form a major chunk, analysts say one should not ignore the web platform. Web platforms are more susceptible to frauds as in several organisations, where the digital teams primarily focus on the app, leaving the web space vulnerable. Also, there are several brand safety issues specifically emanating from web like fake leads and keyword abuse, according to the study.
Faisal Kawoosa, founder & chief analyst, techARC said, “The impact of digital ad-fraud now goes beyond diminishing the returns on marketing spends and can jeopardise the entire digital transformation journey hampering brand equity, relevance and positioning among other ramifications.”
