13 December 2022 Fraud Prevention

Cookie Dropping Fraud in Digital Marketing

cookie dropping

A surefire way to increase web traffic is by dropping cookies on potential customers. However, this practice also opens the door to fraudsters who could engage in cookie dropping to hijack user sessions and commit fraud. In this blog post, we’ll explore what cookie dropping is, how it’s used to commit fraud, and what measures you can take to protect your business from this type of attack.

What is cookie dropping fraud and how does it work

Cookie dropping fraud is a digital marketing issue that can cause a significant financial loss. It works by exploiting cookies, which are small pieces of code stored in browser histories, to simulate real customer visits and fool digital marketers into thinking they are legitimate. Cookie droppers use sophisticated scripting and automation techniques to imitate the online behavior trackers associated with digital marketing campaigns, allowing them to pretend that their fraudulent clicks came from a real customer. This unmanaged traffic misleads businesses by providing skewed numbers and inaccurate information, leading to excessive payments and wasted resources. Thankfully, there are multiple ways that digital marketers can safeguard against this type of fraud.

How to identify cookie dropping fraud in your digital marketing campaigns

Identifying cookie dropping fraud in your digital marketing campaigns is a critical process that bears heavily on the success rate of your advertising efforts. To do this effectively, marketers should pay close attention to their tracking efforts and any discrepancies that appear. Obvious signs include an advanced number of impressions without corresponding click-throughs or sales, as well as suspicious IP addresses showing up multiple times from different web browsers. Additionally, PragmaticBOX software can be used to filter out invalid data points to help marketers better detect fraudulent activity and protect their campaigns from malicious actors. With the proper anti-fraud strategies in place, you can confidently run your digital marketing campaigns knowing that your data will remain untainted by cookie dropping fraudsters.

Steps to take to prevent cookie dropping fraud from happening

Keeping digital marketing and advertising campaigns safe from fraud starts with preventive measures. To protect against cookie dropping fraud, implementing antifraud solutions that detect suspicious activity is important. Using methods such as bots detection and anomaly detection can help identify attempts to fraudulently drop cookies, giving companies the advantage to stop the attack before any damage is done. Additionally, having scalable alert systems in place will create an extra layer of prevention against hackers trying to access digital advertising platforms. By taking a proactive approach to digital security, organizations can stay ahead of potential threats posed by cyber criminals.

What to do if you think you’ve been a victim of fraud

If you’re concerned that you may have been victimized by digital marketing fraud, such as cookie dropping, there are a few steps to take in order to help secure your digital marketing efforts and budget. First, you should review the digital analytics of your website and campaigns to identify any anomalies with how visitors may have reached your site. Second, review the digital security measures you have in place on the website or platform to detect malicious activity. Lastly, you should consider adjusting your digital spending in an attempt to limit potential future damage. If you’ve identified suspicious activity or feel like you’ve been a victim of fraud, it’s important to act quickly to protect your digital investments and secure your digital marketing budgets against further losses.

How to report fraudsters and save marketing budget

Online marketing fraud has become a costly issue for digital marketers. Dropping cookies onto user browsing sessions to collect valuable data, with the intention of either directly profiting off it or earning more effective marketing campaigns through increased insights, is a form of this fraud. Consequently, it can eat away at digital marketing budgets and resources. However, digital marketers can report these individuals to multiple digital agencies who work to identify digital fraudsters and protect digital marketing budgets for advertisers and publishers alike. By taking advantage of these digital agencies’ services and reporting any suspicious activity, digital marketers can help safeguard their digital marketing budgets from fraudsters.

Cookie dropping fraud is a serious problem that needs to be addressed in the digital marketing world. By understanding how it works and taking steps to prevent it, you can protect your campaigns from being victimized. If you think you’ve been a victim of cookie dropping fraud, there are steps you can take to report the activity and get compensated for any damages. PragmaticBOX offers solutions to help protect your company from cookie dropping activities. To learn more about our services, please visit our website or contact us today.

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