Updated on July 30, 2026
Digital advertising is an industry that is powered and guided by change. But the threat of fraud has always been one of its greatest and most expensive threats. According to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the worldwide cost of ad fraud was $88 billion in 2023. That number is expected to jump to $172 billion by 2028 – nearly double the loss in just half a decade. Plus, new threats become even more sophisticated and harder to detect as technology evolves.
Publishers have a vital role to play in the fight against ad fraud. But to play it well, it is equally important to be familiar with the forms it can take, as well as the negative impact it can have on their operations – and, inevitably, their bottom line.
Ad fraud is the unauthorized diversion of ads from their intended audience or location. Although the rates can vary by platform, fraud affects all channels on some level, including desktop, mobile, tablet and connected TV (CTV). But it is important to note that not all sources of fraud are created equal.
Official standards classify ad fraud into two distinct types of invalid traffic: general and specific.
General Invalid Traffic (GIVT) can be identified by conventional methods and typically comes from benign non-human sources, such as search engine crawlers or AI scrapers.
Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT) is malicious in intent and much harder to detect because it is often disguised as human traffic. Between the two, SIVT is the much greater danger.
Some of the more common forms of SIVT include:
While advertisers usually feel the impact of fraud in wasted spend, publishers can face several different consequences if they do not protect their partners or their inventory from fraudulent traffic. For example, the ongoing relationship between media buyers and suppliers is dependent on trust and transparency. If advertisers cannot trust a publisher to prioritize their KPIs (or worse, if fraudsters are manipulating their inventory in a way that prevents them from doing so), then publishers can irreparably damage their reputations and compromise the value of their premium space.
Ad fraud can also take an operational toll on publishers. If left unchecked, it can negatively affect campaign delivery, resulting in costly makegoods and an overextension of time and resources. Plus, as fraudsters are free from any obligation to create legitimate content, they can undercut publishers by offering inventory that appears to be higher quality at lower rates. This forces legitimate publishers to follow suit, further compressing publisher margins by deflating the marketplace.
The most comprehensive approach to identifying and combating ad fraud begins with small changes that reinforce the idea of prevention and incorporate practical industry solutions and technology. Publishers can take their first steps in the right direction today by considering any or all of the following ideas:
Equipped with the knowledge of how fraudsters operate, publishers can be more vigilant in monitoring campaigns. Also, countermeasures can be proactively instituted that cut off fraud schemes before they become a larger problem. Publishers might also consider taking the lead on informing partners in understanding how fraud works and outlining a media strategy that prioritizes high-quality human traffic.
Publishers can also look to established best practices to guide the implementation of anti-fraud measures. Some excellent starting points include:
For a more thorough approach to fighting fraud, download our Detecting and Preventing IVT Guide. This presents a meaningful opportunity for publishers to be at the forefront of defining industry standards that will serve them in the fight against ad fraud.
Both internally and externally, publishers can cultivate a transparency-focused mindset. This not only includes being open to implementing solutions that focus on clarity in the supply chain, but also working proactively with buyers and vendors to demystify corporate policy and provide a clear picture of where buyer ad spend is directed.
Lastly, publishers can assure their buyers of their commitment to fighting fraud by employing independent fraud detection tools or submitting to third-party audits. Ad fraud may be a threat to publisher reputation and revenue for the foreseeable future, but the right tools and knowledge can help publishers identify and eliminate it, no matter where or how it may emerge. To learn more about DV’s approach to fraud, reach out today to start a conversation or request a demo!