Released: May 18, 2007

Internet click fraud persists

Source: Michael Liedtke, Associated Press

Deceptive clicks on Internet advertising links distributed by Google, Yahoo and other online marketing vehicles are probably occurring far more frequently than the network operators acknowledge, according to a study by fraud detection specialist Fair Isaac.

The chicanery involves automated computer programs or scam artists who repeatedly click on advertising links with no intention of buying anything. The short ad links, which appear alongside search results and other content at thousands of websites, typically trigger a commission with each click — a financial formula ripe for mischief, Fair Isaac found.

The study’s preliminary conclusions, scheduled to be discussed Friday during a Fair Isaac conference in San Francisco, threaten to revive suspicions among advertisers that they have been overcharged as part of a ruse known as “click fraud.”

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