DSPs Quote Buyers a 1 to 3 Percent Fraud Rate. Anura's Post-Click Scans Keep Finding Half.

By Pesach Lattin, based on ADOTAT reporting

DSPs tell clients their fraud rate runs 1 to 3 percent, a self-reported figure from pre-bid filters that get about 20 milliseconds per decision. Anura's post-click scans of DSP traffic keep finding roughly half bots, malware or human fraud, and the MRC says it often sees filtration rates well above 1 percent in audits.

Why it matters

A fraud rate a vendor reports about its own filtering is a sales figure until someone outside the vendor checks it. If a campaign is bought on the promise that invalid traffic is already removed, the buyer's protection depends on what the contract says about measurement, makegoods and refunds. Buyers should know which filter produced the number, whether it covers sophisticated invalid traffic or only general invalid traffic, and whether they have audit rights and log-level data that let an independent tool test the claim after the click.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Is your quoted fraud rate a pre-bid GIVT figure, a SIVT figure, or both, and who measured it?
2. Will you give us log-level impression and click data so a third party can scan the traffic?
3. What refund or makegood applies when post-click scans find invalid traffic above your stated rate?
4. Which of your filters are covered by an MRC accreditation, and for which metrics?
5. How do you handle a single seat or agency buy that scans above 40 percent invalid?

Read the ADOTAT investigation

Source: DSPs Tell Clients Fraud Runs 1 to 3 Percent. Anura's Scans Keep Finding Half., ADOTAT

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