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Google's Fraud Squad Battles Phantom Clicks

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the unfortunate-necessities dept.

An anonymous reader writes "It's an open secret that low cost workers in India, China and other countries are hired to boost traffic for online ads by clicking on text links, banners etc. Internet marketers facing high advertising fees on search networks like Google are becoming increasingly concerned about this form of online fraud. This problem has reached a critical stage and even Google recognizes that it has been the target of individuals and entities "using some of the most advanced spam techniques for years". A Google spokesperson said the company has "applied what we have learned with search to the click fraud problem and employed a dedicated team and proprietary technology to analyse clicks.""

9 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. Open secret? by Threni · · Score: 5, Funny

    > It's an open secret that low cost workers in India, China and other countries
    > are hired to boost traffic for online ads by clicking on text links, banners etc.

    That's like 'common knowledge', right?

    Anyway, I click on lots of lots of ads. The ones that make it through AdBlock, anyway. Shortly before I add them to my block list. I do hope I'm not skewing anyone's statistics. I'd hate for commercial websites to suffer.

    1. Re:Open secret? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Anyway, I click on lots of lots of ads.

      So tell me, have you gained those three inches yet? I, er, have a friend who was wondering...

  2. Gee. by sentientbeing · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thanks for the link to Google.

    Does anyone have a mirror just in case?

    --

    ------
    beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
    1. Re:Gee. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Here you go.

    2. Re:Gee. by houghi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Thanks for the link to Google.

      Does anyone have a mirror just in case?

      Sure, no problem. The mirror is here: http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:zhool8dxBV4J: www.google.com/+google&hl=en

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    3. Re:Gee. by crywolf · · Score: 5, Funny

      Google mirror

      --
      CAUTION: Product may be hot after heating
    4. Re:Gee. by Stuart+Gibson · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hmm, from Google's cache of www.google.com:

      "Google is not affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content."

      That is shirking corporate responsibility if ever I saw it.

      Stuart

      --
      It's all fun and games until a 200' robot dinosaur shows up and trashes Neo-Tokyo... Again
  3. Golden opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Google has a golden opportunity to avoid being snipped. Please deliver 40,000 advertising clicks now, or we will be forced to go through with our operation.

    Best regards,

    419

  4. sweet by ikea5 · · Score: 5, Funny
    "It's an open secret that low cost workers in India, China and other countries are hired to boost traffic for online ads by clicking on text links, banners etc."

    Wow, just like what I do at work everyday right here in US, Surfing the web and get paid.