Click Fraud Beyond Search Ads — Display, Mobile, App & Programmatic Risk Areas in 2025

Display advertising appears to be harmless: banners and videos on websites, but it is on the list of scams in 2025. Botnets that imitate human behaviour drive invalid traffic to 18.6% on desktop and mobile web. Fraudsters employ AI to create fake scrolls, hovers, and clicks and defraud websites, such as Google Display Network or programmatic exchanges.

This is a huge loss to high CPC industries such as the finance departments, where bots increase the cost but not the conversions. The shopping and display formats are the most exposed, particularly in the competitive niches. In one research, 20-30 per cent of digital expenses disappear due to present fraud, distorting the performance indicators.

The following are some of the fast protection tips that can be applied:

• Block low-quality IP ranges using set geo-fencing.
• Confirm ad engagement with the use of viewability tools.
• Keep an eye on the high bounce rates after the click (more than 90 per cent is a warning sign)
   

Mobile is the epicentre of click fraud, with 28.5% of total invalid traffic and 69 percent of app clicks being caused by duplicates. Fraudsters attack installations of apps through fake devices and get payments without the actual users. The invalid clicks in music and audio applications are 54% because bots excavate volume campaigns. A Click Fraud Software mitigates the risks of such fraudulent advertisements.

In-app advertisements experience 41.89% of invalid impressions, which are caused by SDK spoofing- where malware masquerades as genuine applications. In the Asia-Pacific, social campaigns lose more than 20 per cent to mobile fraud, and the losses may likely increase two-fold. This harms your attribution data, resulting in overbidding scam traffic.

Key risks and fixes:

• Repeated clicks prevail - allow session tracking.
• Block device fingerprinting traffic with an emulator.
• Sandbox test to identify anomalies promptly.

The app stores and in-app purchases add to the level of fraud compared to web mobile: every 5th app click is a fake, with bots simulating installs and clicks. According to the report by Fraud0, 28.5% of apps have invalid traffic, usually in organised farms with low-cost Android gadgets.

Leads are entertainment and gaming apps, although finance apps are not safe, fake users win rewards or trials. The in-app purchases made through programs not only waste 40%+ on impressions, but also because bots creep into the long-tail inventory. This not only burns your wallet but also destroys your app store ratings with fake numbers. There are plenty of Click Fraud Prevention Tools that help you protect your business.

Steps to shield your apps:
Introduce fraud indicators to the UA (user acquisition) systems.

• Block installs by high-risk networks such as VPNs.
• Post-install audit behaviour of quick uninstalls.
   

Programmatic wins the prize of exposure to fraud, 21.23% invalid impressions, and apps, 41.89%. Real-time bidding (RTB) auctions are taking place in milliseconds, and bots can bid and click without being noticed by 32 per cent of users, and 17.9 per cent of CTV traffic is invalid as well.

Engagement Signals Automation, such as Google Performance Max feeds on engagement signals, and it is spoofed by fraudsters using AI mouse movements. Finance and local services have been ranked as the high-risk areas and cost 84 billion annually.

Programmatic defences:

• DSP pre-bid blocking is in demand.
• Anomaly detectors use AI fraud tools.
• Blacklist the domains that have zero human signals.
   

Here are the ways to help you fight back on all channels and protect your business against fraud. A click fraud prevention software might help.

• Set up core protections: Enable invalid click reporting, block bad IPs, and use exclusions.
• Add guard tools: Use third-party bot detectors to save 20–30% of spend.
• Monitor signals: CTR >5% + low conversions = fraud alert.
• Test clean performance: A/B test with fraud blocks, valid clicks convert 2x better.
• Scale with AI (enterprise): Use ML that adapts to new click farms.
• Review often: Reassess quarterly as threats shift to CTV & social video.
   

Outside of search, click fraud is a 2025 budget killer, with display affected (19), then mobile apps (28.5), and programmatic is the most affected. However, knowledge is power; identify these risks, layer on the defences, and reclaim your ad dollars. You should not use flocks of bots, but actual human beings in your campaigns. Begin auditing now, and ROI will increase. ClickSambo offers you solutions for diverse fraud types, thus protecting your business from any damage by keeping your data secure. To know more about the services provided, visit our LinkedIn.