The 'app economy' may be booming, but mobile fraud is exploding into a massive problem projected to cost billions and undermine the integrity of the global ad tech industry.
Escalating the cause for concern is a recent study, conducted by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) and White Ops, a leader in online fraud mitigation for digital advertising, that expects more than $7 billion to be lost in ad fraud this year — a huge chunk of it on mobile. "Right now," the ANA tells Adweek, "the wildest fraud innovations are happening in mobile."
Statements like this have done more than alert the industry to the extent of the problem; they have prompted companies to step up efforts to increase transparency and control the quality of mobile app and ad traffic.