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Glossary

A

Ad Fraud

Any fraudulent activity in digital advertising aimed at stealing ad budgets, such as fake clicks, impressions, or installs generated by bots or malicious software.

Ad Network

A platform that connects advertisers with publishers. In ad fraud prevention, it is the primary link where traffic aggregation occurs and where invalid click filtering is essential.

ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)

The average revenue generated by a single user over a specific period. Abnormally low ARPU despite high traffic volume is a classic indicator of bot activity.

Attribution

The process of identifying which marketing interaction led to a conversion. Fraudsters often attempt to "steal" attribution using click spamming or click injection.

B

Bot Traffic

Non-human traffic generated by scripts or programs designed to mimic real user actions like clicks, scrolls, or form fills.

C

Click Injection

A type of mobile fraud where a malicious app on a user's device detects a new app download and triggers a fake click to claim the attribution reward.

Click Spamming

Executing a high volume of clicks in the background without the user’s knowledge to hijack organic attribution.

CPA (Cost Per Action)

A pricing model where advertisers pay for a specific action (e.g., registration or purchase). While more secure than CPM, it is still vulnerable to sophisticated bot emulation.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

A model where advertisers pay for each click. This is the primary target for click fraud and basic bot traffic.

CPI (Cost Per Install)

A model where payment is triggered by a mobile app install. Frequently targeted by device farms and SDK spoofing.

CPL (Cost Per Lead)

A model where advertisers pay for contact details (leads). Vulnerable to "junk" leads generated by automated form-filling bots.

CPM (Cost Per Mille)

The price for 1,000 ad impressions. This is the most vulnerable model for fraud via invisible ads (Pixel Stuffing) or fake views.

CPS (Cost Per Sale)

A model where payment occurs after a completed sale. While harder to fake, it can be compromised through the use of stolen credit card data.

CR (Conversion Rate)

The ratio of conversions to clicks or impressions. Sudden spikes or drops in CR are key indicators for an anti-fraud audit.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

The ratio of users who click on an ad to the number of total users who view it. An unnaturally high CTR often points to click fraud.

CTV (Connected TV)

Any device designed to support video content streaming on a television screen (Smart TVs, gaming consoles, streaming sticks). TV impressions often lead to delayed conversions on other devices, such as smartphones — a factor that complicates analytics and creates more opportunities for manipulation.

Note

FraudScore allows you to react quickly to the threat of wasted ad spend. Since CTV CPMs are significantly higher and budgets are larger, any error becomes much more costly. Check out our blog for more insights on CTV fraud.

D

Device Farm

A physical location where hundreds of mobile devices are used by humans or scripts to simulate high-value user activity and installs.

DMP (Data Management Platform)

A platform used to collect and manage audience data. It helps anti-fraud systems verify if a user's profile matches real-world behavior.

DSP (Demand Side Platform)

A system that allows advertisers to buy traffic across multiple sites automatically. High-quality DSPs integrate anti-fraud solutions at the bidding stage.

E

eCPM (Effective Cost Per Mille)

A metric that calculates the effectiveness of an ad campaign by converting all costs into a "per 1,000 impressions" equivalent.

EPC/RPC (Earnings/Revenue Per Click)

The average revenue generated from a single click. Used by publishers to detect traffic anomalies and evaluate offer quality.

I

IVT (Invalid Traffic)

A global term for any traffic that does not come from a human with genuine interest. It includes both simple bots (GIVT) and sophisticated fraud (SIVT).

L

LTV (Lifetime Value)

The total revenue a user generates over their entire relationship with an app. Fraudulent traffic almost always shows a near-zero LTV.

P

Pixel Stuffing

A fraud technique where an ad is served in a 1x1 pixel area, making it invisible to the human eye while still counting as a paid impression.

PPC / PPL / PPV

Pay Per Click, Lead, or View. These are standard payment models used to calculate ROI and identify budget leakage.

R

Reattribution

The process of assigning an app install or conversion to a specific paid traffic source when a user who previously installed the app returns after a period of inactivity or re-installs it via a new ad campaign. In ad fraud, malicious actors use "Reattribution Fraud" to claim credit for organic returning users by firing fake clicks.

Note

To detect fraud in reattribution campaigns, FraudScore applies its best practices and time-tested algorithms, specifically optimized for these types of events. Check out our blog for more insights on Reattribtuion fraud.

Retargeting

A marketing strategy aimed at showing ads to users who have previously interacted with an app or website (e.g., viewed a product but didn't complete a purchase). Fraudsters use "Retargeting Fraud" to claim credit for organic users who were already planning to return to the app.

Note

Check out our blog for more insights on Retargeting.

RTB (Real-Time Bidding)

An automated auction where ad impressions are bought and sold in milliseconds. Anti-fraud in RTB must work in real-time to block bots before a bid is even placed.

S

SDK Spoofing

A sophisticated type of fraud where attackers simulate in-app activity (installs, events) by sending fake signals to tracking systems without actually downloading or launching the software.

Note

With SDK spoofing, attackers don't actually launch or interact with the app. Instead, they send signals to tracking systems that mimic legitimate devices. FraudScore identifies this fraudulent activity even when it looks identical to real installs, utilizing algorithms based on actual SDK spoofing injection cases. Check out our blog for more insights on SDK spoofing.

SSP (Sell Side Platform)

A technology platform that helps publishers manage and sell their ad space. Traffic quality in an SSP directly affects the platform's reputation.

T

Cookies set by a domain other than the one the user is visiting. As these are phased out, anti-fraud systems are shifting toward fingerprinting and first-party data.

TTI / CTIT (Time To Install / Click To Install Time)

The time elapsed between an ad click and the first app open. Very short TTI often signals click injection, while very long TTI may indicate click spamming.

U

UA (User Acquisition)

The process of gaining new users through marketing. Without anti-fraud controls, a significant portion of UA budgets can be wasted on non-human traffic.

UGC (User Generated Content)

Any content created by users. While great for engagement, it is often a target for spam bots and automated malicious links.

apr 20, 2026