Invalid traffic & ad fraud

The deepest track on AdTech Sumo. You will learn exactly what the industry counts as invalid traffic, how bots and fraud rings fake humans, apps and TVs, and how the real cases from Methbot to BADBOX 2.0 worked. Then you will learn how fraud is caught and how to protect a budget or an inventory.

intermediate · 8 lessons · 72 minutes

1. 01

   What is invalid traffic?

   Invalid traffic is any ad activity that did not come from a real, interested human. Learn what counts, why it exists, and why it costs billions.

   7 min
2. 02

   GIVT vs SIVT: the two kinds of invalid traffic

   The MRC splits invalid traffic into GIVT, caught with lists and rules, and SIVT, which needs advanced analytics. Learn exactly what falls in each.

   8 min
3. 03

   How bots fake humans

   From data-center scripts to malware on your TV box: the tiers of bot sophistication, and how Methbot and 3ve faked billions of views.

   9 min
4. 04

   Spoofing: fake websites, apps and devices

   Spoofing sells cheap or fake inventory under a premium name. Learn domain, app and device spoofing, and how ads.txt, sellers.json and schain fight back.

   9 min
5. 05

   Mobile app and CTV fraud

   Click injection, SDK spoofing, SSAI spoofing and backdoored TV boxes: how fraud works in apps and on TVs, told through ICEBUCKET, VASTFLUX and BADBOX.

   10 min
6. 06

   Made-for-advertising sites and traffic arbitrage

   MFA sites and arbitrage are often not illegal, yet they drain budgets. Learn how they work, the ANA's findings, and grey tricks like ad stacking and lead fraud.

   9 min
7. 07

   How fraud gets caught

   Pre-bid vs post-bid, the signals detectors read, honeypots, sample vs census measurement and threat intelligence: how invalid traffic is actually found.

   10 min
8. 08

   Protecting your spend (and your inventory)

   A practical anti-fraud checklist for buyers and sellers: supply controls, contract clauses, refunds, TAG certification and how to judge vendors.

   10 min

Test yourself: Invalid traffic & ad fraud quiz