How Do I Monitor and Stop Click Fraud?

There are a number of things you can do to monitor your clicks, and to prevent click fraud:

1) Keep a close eye on your clicks.
The easiest way to do this is to use a 3rd party fraud detection service, such as Who'sClickingWho? (the creator of this website). Services like WhosClickingWho? will allow you to easily run reports and sort the results to see if you are receiving repeated clicks from the same individuals. You can also view clicks across multiple PPC engines to view if fraudsters are clicking on your Google ads, and then clicking on your Yahoo ads.

2) Deter the fraud.
Many people who are committing click fraud have no idea that they are being monitored - if you can alert the individual to the fact that they are being watched, they will often stop the clicks immediately. Who'sClickingWho? has a customizable message that appears to clickers when they have reached a "click threshold". We have also heard of people who suspect a specific competitor of clicking simply picking up the phone and saying "stop clicking my ads".

3) Talk to your PPC company to get a refund.
When presented with clear evidence of PPC fraud, the major PPC companies will often give refunds to their customers. Success will vary on a case by case basis, but we know many cases of individuals who have received refunds of thousands of dollars from their PPC companies. When approaching your PPC company for a refund, it is important to present clear evidence of the fraud. Reports from a 3rd party are extremely helpful to have in this case.

There are companies that specialize in approaching your PPC company on your behalf with evidence of fraud in order to get a refund. These companies often charge a % of the money recovered rather than a flat fee.