Click Fraud Statistics 2024

Global stats that show the effects of click fraud on advertising budget and performance

Currently shielding

Click fraud stats across every industry

22%

global ad spend
was lost due to ad fraud in 2023
(Juniper Research)

27%

organic and direct traffic
consists of bots and fake users
(Imperva)

$1

of marketing budget
is lost to ad fraud for every $3 spent
(Adage.com)

28%

of digital traffic is not human
(Adobe)

$100 billion

Ad fraud cost is forecast to grow from $19 billion in 2018 to $100 billion by 2023
(Statista)

10%

is the overall average rate of invalid traffic across all digital advertising
(ANA/Bot Baseline Report)

Mobile App Ad Fraud Statistics

On paid search campaigns, an average of 14% of all clicks are from non-genuine sources.

Bots are responsible for approximately 24% of all clicks, contributing significantly to click fraud.

Small businesses are especially vulnerable, with click fraud eating up as much as 30% of their advertising budget.

Bot networks are responsible for nearly 40% of click fraud, utilising large collections of devices to generate fake clicks.

Up to 20% of clicks on paid search campaigns are estimated to be fraudulent or invalid.

Click fraud rates in search campaigns can range between 14% to 22%, depending on industry and geographic location.

Did you know... 👀

Did you know the cost of click fraud is forecast to grow from $19 billion in 2018 to $100 billion by 2024? Click fraud is a massive problem, and the proof is in the numbers. Don’t take our word for it - try the IVT calculator and see the effects advertising fraud is having on your marketing success.

Affiliate Fraud Statistics

Fraudulent clicks accounted for 17% of 2022's affiliate traffic, and cost companies an estimated $3.4 billion.

Sub-ID manipulation or fraud accounts for approximately 8% to 12% of affiliate fraud incidents.

Mobile affiliate fraud rates can be up to 50% higher compared to desktop due to vulnerabilities in mobile tracking.

An estimated 25% of leads generated through affiliate marketing campaigns can be fake or of poor quality.

Cookie stuffing schemes affect around 5% to 10% of affiliate marketing transactions, artificially attributing sales to affiliates.

Bots contribute to approximately 24% of all affiliate marketing traffic, generating fraudulent clicks and transactions.

Fraudsters won’t wait, so why should you?

You can set up a TrafficGuard account in minutes, so we’ll be protecting your campaigns before you can say ‘sky-high ROI’.

Our case studies

Supporting brands and enterprises to deliver

Ready to be our next success story?
April 15, 2024
2024-04-15

Types of Ad Fraud Demystified: Bots

Unmasking, understanding and the challenges of bots...
Learn more
February 21, 2024
2024-02-21

Ad Fraud and Emerging Technologies: Preparing for the Next Wave

How is AI impacting the advertising industry?
Learn more