Few people in the world can boast that they have never encountered a scam. Irritation, anger, and disappointment from unreasonably lost money are common emotions for many people. That is why we decided to raise the topic of fraud in traffic arbitrage.
Earning money on trust
Trust fraud is an ancient practice of deception that has always been frowned upon in society. Fraudsters, who produce nothing of their own, rely entirely on their cunning to cheat others. That is why every state takes measures to punish such actions.
There are also numerous cases of fraud in traffic arbitration that lead to the following consequences:
- Creating a negative image of online advertising when deceived customers express their dissatisfaction to a wide audience;
- increased control by trusted sources (social networks, search engines) overall arbitrageurs;
- More difficult conditions for gaining trust in new advertising campaigns.
Ignoring moral aspects in black hat arbitrage indicates the immorality of the webmaster because fraud is a conscious decision. It is hard to consider someone who deliberately exploits the vulnerability of cancer patients to sell placebos, as well as those who manipulate the emotions and weaknesses of others, as moral people.
Black arbitrage
At the beginning of globalization, arbitrage traffic resembled an expedition to the wild jungle: there are no rules, but there are great opportunities for earning money. However, within a few years, the situation has changed dramatically – consumers have become more aware, the market has been flooded with regulators, and competition between webmasters has intensified. Today, success in this field requires not so much luck as skill, perseverance, and emotional stability.
Nevertheless, some websites are unwilling to adhere to ethical standards, pursuing profit by unfair methods. It is important to note that the highest ROI is generated by black offers. This is due to the complexity of their promotion, which requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of the process.
The division into categories is rather arbitrary, both in terms of product classification and the “color” of offers. However, black offers are clearly defined as:
- goods that are prohibited by law (for example, smuggling, drugs, pornography);
- Products that are contrary to moral standards (e.g., page hacking, pharmaceuticals for the treatment of incurable diseases);
- offers that mislead consumers (for example, fake surveys, selling non-existent goods).
Often, users fall victim to such schemes and lose their money.
The question of choice remains open: whether an adult should be responsible for his or her own decisions or not. On the other hand, it is important to recognize the personality of the person who may become a victim, for example, a person with a gambling addiction who has spent his or her last money. Should we prioritize money over human values, honesty, and morality?
Your choice in arbitration will determine your principles, but we just remind you that boasting about black cases on a professional level is unlikely to help you maintain your reputation or friendly relations with the team.
Firstbills
In the field of arbitration, there is a fraud known as firstbills, which seriously affects the trust between colleagues. This method involves the actions of webmasters who abuse the capabilities of social networks, reducing the trust of advertising accounts and increasing the likelihood of their blocking. The mechanism consists of linking a bank card to an account to launch advertising campaigns, and when the payment is due, the card becomes unavailable or is reissued. Such actions allow you to get traffic without paying but lead to the loss of your account. Some pioneers justify their actions by saying that they were not the first to start, denying responsibility. However, the majority of the industry criticizes such behavior, as it not only harms the community but also demonstrates professional incompetence. In our opinion, first responders are similar to pickpockets who steal small change and usually do not think about the consequences.
There are also carders – people who steal money from payment cards, which makes it difficult to work with accounts and place ads. This forces sources to increase security measures when linking cards to advertising accounts.
Fraudulent traffic
Fraudulent traffic is an attempt to imitate the actions required to perform for an advertiser. They do not bring real consumers, but they try to take the advertising budget. Fraud can be used not only by individual webmasters, but also by advertising platforms, aggregators, and marketing agencies to ensure the required volume and quality of traffic.
In recent years, fraud traffic has not been limited to mobile advertising but has also spread to the desktop segment, especially with the growth of budgets. Accordingly, the quality of fraudulent technologies has improved significantly, forcing advertisers to carefully check traffic and increase their quality requirements to protect against fraud.
Partner networks are actively implementing anti-fraud solutions and inform webmasters about unacceptable traffic sources and possible consequences of fraudulent actions at the initial stage of cooperation. Arbitrageurs and their teams, who value their reputation, avoid using fraudulent methods. Nevertheless, there are plenty of those who continue to look for ways to circumvent advertisers’ standards and requirements. According to research by FraudScore, about a third of all traffic shows signs of fraud.
Conclusions
Please note that compliance with business rules is closely interconnected with ethical standards. When the choice is between quick profits and responsibility to society, some people tend to choose the former. However, it should be borne in mind that committing illegal actions can have serious consequences that exceed quick profits.
