Multiple Sites with click fraud

[joebob]

I have run across a site running adsense (Site "A") that offers free items to people who visit another site (Site "B") and click on the ads.
Site B is completly legit and does not beg for clicks in any way. It is not a MFA site either it has good content.

Is G going to kick them off on their own or do I need to report them?

[bakedjake]

What if site A is doing that with maliciousness in mind? Seems like a great, effective, and legal way to get people kicked out of AdSense.

[androidtech]

How does site A know that the person has clicked on AdSense ads on site B so they can give that person the freebie?

It seems to me that unearthing that piece of the puzzle would clarify whether or not it's actually an attempt to torpedo Site B, or instead to pad Site A's earnings.

[bakedjake]

Exactly! What if you faked the domain registration info on site A to exactly match that of site B?

[joebob]

Site "A" asks you for the last word on the ad page.

They have a form box and button that takes you to the free items page. It does not matter what word you put in the box you can even leave it blank. It will still take you to the free stuff. I feel that most people will still click on the ads though because they don't know it.

How can G fight against this?
The clicks are from different users with unique IP address's.

And site "B" is completely legit. Site "A" does not have any ads on it so they cannot connect the two sites.

[joebob]

I just found out another way this guy is getting clicks. He has a newsletter that he sends out each week. He requires the readers to click an ad to read the letter. He uses the same manner that I described above for the freebie stuff.

This could ad up to alot of money. Say he has only 500 readers of his email. 500 x $1 per click = $500 per week. 500 readers is a really low guess.

Now this really is getting tricky. He is asking people to click on ads in his email. How in the world could G find out about this without someone turning him in?

[alika]

Then you turn him in.

[ownerrim]

The idea of reporting others did not sit well with me previously. However, I would lately tend to agree with others who have enunciated the position that adsense should be shepherded by members of its own flock. I would report him faster than a tornado can suck up a moho.

[joebob]

I have reported him.
But my question is how is G going to make sure that this does not happen.

I advertise with adwords and do not want to rely on people reporting fraudulent clicks.

[Chico_Loco]

I can't help but wonder how much damage this thread alone is going to do - now how many people with a mailing list have the idea embedded in their heads already?

[edited by: rogerd at 6:44 pm (utc) on Feb. 2, 2005]

[joebob]

So I guess this guy figured a loophole in the system. Either he is a genius or a complete idiot.

[Jon_King]

I say there is a traceable pattern that will be found if it hasn't already...

[fischermx]

Since anyone can report it, he is an idiot.

[blairsp]

Since anyone can report it, he is an idiot.

But probably far better off than he used to be. Doubt that someone has "grassed him up" the day after he first did it and of course do G act immediately on any suspected fraud?