Affiliate fraud: the main types and how to protect your network
Duplicates, unauthorized incentive traffic, source spoofing and bots: how to spot fraud before you pay the partner.
Fraud is traffic or conversions the advertiser will not pay for, while the network may already have paid the partner. The earlier you catch it, the less you lose. Here are the main types and their signs.
Duplicates and multi-accounts
One person signs up several times to trigger several payouts. Signs: repeated emails, phones and devices, identical transaction_id values in postbacks.
Unauthorized incentive traffic
Users are paid or promised a bonus to sign up. Conversions come in, but players never deposit again and the advertiser rejects the traffic. The sign is a high sign-up rate with near-zero retention.
Source spoofing
A partner declares one source but sends traffic from another that the offer forbids, such as brand search ads. Sub-ID control, link checks and agreed source transparency help here.
Bots and click inflation
Clicks without real people: abnormal CTR, bursts of clicks from one subnet, zero time on the landing page. Even without conversions they distort stats and payouts.
How to protect your network
- 1Check duplicates by transaction_id, email, phone and device fingerprint.
- 2Add your own rules, for example send conversions from geos not in the offer to review.
- 3Put suspicious conversions on hold instead of paying them out.
- 4Always state the rejection reason; it prevents disputes and signals the partner.
- 5Look at quality, not just conversions: deposits, retention, advertiser rejections.
| Fraud type | Sign | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicates | Same email, phone or device | Reject with a reason |
| Unauthorized incentive | Many sign-ups, no repeat deposits | Hold and talk to the partner |
| Source spoofing | Source differs from the declared one | Check sub-IDs |
| Bots | Abnormal CTR, click bursts | Filter and block the source |