Does Google prevent fraudulent users?

Does google have measures to prevent fraudulent competitors

[allxtt]

Hi
I've recently started an add campagne with google and overture. I have not found any info on google relating measures set up to stop your competitors constantly clicking on your add and using the money up...

Overture seem to have measures in place.

Many thanks for any info

James

[Tropical Island]

Yes Google most definately has click fraud protection in place.

In the more than a year we have had our AdWords program we have not seen any questionable activity.

Can not say the same for the other PPC's.

[allxtt]

Thanks, thats good to know. ;-)
James

[CHC]

I am baffled at how any major user of AdWords could feel supremely confident that they suffer no questionable activity whatsoever. I know that Google do have some measures in place but the one thing that AdWords users can really be sure of is that sometimes their competitors WILL click on their links and the biggest loss will be little webmaster AdSense affiliates clicking on their sponsors links to raise revenue. The last one is happening every second of every day.

[dmorison]

You do see evidence of fraudulent activity if you watch your AdWords click-through's closely enough.

On the worst occasion I opened a dialog with AdWords support and they looked into it; but you're right - it does happen, no measures will be 100% effective at preventing it.

[marketingmaniac]

google has the security in place but if a user
changes their proxy from any list on the internet,
they can click on your add using over 1000's of different
proxy servers, which in turn will result in a charge
to your account for each proxy they use.

does anyone know if google has a list of the proxies
out on the internet and terefore adds them to bann list?

I know i can log onto google utilizing any of these proxies, this is why i ask.

[europeforvisitors]

the one thing that AdWords users can really be sure of is that sometimes their competitors WILL click on their links

Yep.

and the biggest loss will be little webmaster AdSense affiliates clicking on their sponsors links to raise revenue. The last one is happening every second of every day.

Unlikely, because most of the "little webmaster AdSense affiliates" who try that will get caught. (In fact, that's happening already.)

The most likely source of hard-to-detect fraud will be the technically sophisticated entrepreneur who knows how to sabotage competitors with clickbots. Still, such fraud will become less of a problem when mainstream advertisers represent a greater percentage of Google's advertisers. Let's face it: Eddie Bauer isn't likely to launch a click war on L.L. Bean, and British Airways probably has better things to do than click on Virgin's ads. :-)