Click fraud is when a pay-per-click online advert is deliberately clicked on in order to inflate a company’s advertising bill.
Pay-per-click adverts are online adverts that company’s can pay for. Every time a company’s link is clicked from a pay-per-click advert, the company is charged. When their pay-per-click advertising limit is reached, their adverts and links are no longer displayed.
Victims of click fraud are therefore paying for advertising that is not being properly used.
Click fraud can be done manually, by an automated script or a computer programme that can imitate the actions of a real person.
Fraud has been committed if money has been lost.
If fraud has been committed, report it to Action Fraud.
See also:
Market manipulation
Anti-competitive behaviour
Corporate fraud