Mobile ad fraud is a hidden drain on your app marketing budget. Traffy, a performance marketing agency specializing in mobile anti-fraud, shares strategies to protect your ad spend and maximize ROI.

Most advertisers don’t lose money due to weak creatives or funnels — they lose it because a significant portion of their in-app traffic is invalid from the very start.

The Scale of the Problem

In Q3 2025, mobile apps experienced approximately 33% IVT (Invalid Traffic), meaning roughly one-third of traffic was fraudulent or invalid. Source: Pixalate — Q3 2025 Global Ad Fraud Benchmark Report.

These numbers aren’t just statistics — they reveal that a huge portion of advertising budgets is being spent not on real users, but on fake traffic, fabricated clicks, and bot-generated installs. And 33% is only an average.

Depending on the traffic source and buying model — particularly in programmatic (DSP) environments — fraud levels can vary dramatically. In some cases, IVT may be as low as 5%, while in others it can reach 50% or more where controls are weak. This means many advertisers are making campaign decisions based on data that was never real to begin with.

What IVT Really Means — And Why It’s Critical

IVT (Invalid Traffic) isn’t just “low-quality traffic.” It is traffic that can never convert into a real user or paying customer.

It includes:

• Bots and automated scripts.
• Click farms and device emulators.
• Hidden impressions and background clicks.
• Fabricated installs and in-app events.

When 33% of traffic is IVT, it means every third dollar you spend is paying for actions that will never generate revenue. Multiple industry studies show that IVT in mobile advertising frequently exceeds 20–30%, and can be significantly higher for certain platforms, GEOs, or traffic types. Fraud is not an edge case. It is a structural risk in in-app advertising.

Why Mobile Ad Fraud Is Getting Smarter

Despite widespread adoption of anti-fraud systems, fraud techniques continue to evolve. Basic bot filtering is no longer enough.

Here are the most common schemes:

1. Bot Installs & Bot Activity: automated installs and simulated engagement that mimic user behavior — without real intent or retention.
2. Click Injection / Click Hijacking: a fraudulent app intercepts the last click before installation and claims attribution for installs it did not generate.
3. Click Spamming / Click Flooding: mass volumes of fake clicks create artificially high activity signals, increasing the probability of stealing organic installs.
4. Device Farms & Real Device Spoofing: hundreds or thousands of real devices systematically generate fake installs and events, often rotating identifiers to avoid detection.
5. SDK Spoofing & Postback Fraud: fraudsters simulate SDK signals and send fake install or in-app event data directly to attribution systems, making everything appear legitimate.
6. In-App Event Spoofing: fabricated postbacks and engagement events appear in reports — but no real user exists behind them.

How to Avoid Wasting Your In-App Budget

Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about systematic verification and disciplined traffic management.

1. Use an MMP With Advanced Anti-Fraud Protection

Rely on trusted mobile measurement partners such as Adjust and AppsFlyer. Enable their built-in fraud detection tools — not just attribution tracking. Attribution without fraud protection is incomplete.

2. Analyze CTIT (Click-to-Install Time): one of the strongest fraud indicators.

• Extremely short CTIT spikes → potential click injection.
• Extremely long and uniform CTIT distributions → potential click flooding.
• Unnaturally consistent timing → possible automation.

3. CTCT (Click to Click Time): a short CTCT (<100 ms) detects script bots and click farms.

4. New Device Rate: if 90%+ of devices are ‘new’ (without history), this indicates farms that are resetting IDFA/GAID.

5. Assisted Installs: a high percentage of assists indicates organic hijacking (Click Flooding).

6. Monitor Behavioral Anomalies:

• Retention curves: fraudsters have learned to fabricate “perfect” retention. Don’t just compare to organic — check retention alongside ROAS or purchases. Retention without revenue usually means bots.

• Payments and Cards: bots can link payment cards and often use large volumes of virtual cards with a $0 balance to pass free trials or card verification checks. Because of this, KPIs such as “card attachment” or even “trial start” become unreliable and can create a false sense of performance. The only truly meaningful indicators in this case are the rebill rate (subscription renewal rate) and the actual payment success rate. If you see 1,000 trials but zero successful charges, that is a clear sign of fraud. If users install the app but never behave like real users at the revenue level, something is clearly wrong.

• Event depth.

• Session duration.

• Purchase timing.

• LTV distribution.

7. Work Systematically With Blacklists and Whitelists

Fraud control is not just about blocking traffic. It’s about controlled scaling.

• Build placement-level blacklists.
• Identify reliable publishers and scale via whitelists.
• Continuously audit sub-publishers.
• Remove suspicious sources early.

8. Infrastructure

• Datacenter IP: Installs coming from hosting provider ranges (AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner) = 100% block.
• Geo Mismatch: Click from India, install from the US = fraud.

How to Win Against Fraud

With up to 33% of in-app traffic being invalid, many advertisers aren’t just underperforming — they’re paying for illusions. Fraud can masquerade as growth, but the real advantage comes from knowing which traffic is real. At Traffy, we specialize in mobile anti-fraud and help advertisers ensure every dollar reaches real users. If you want a comprehensive fraud audit or guidance on safeguarding your campaigns, our team is ready to help.

In this exclusive interview, Betbazar’s Head of Business Development, Bartlomiej Michalek, shares key insights into the company’s AI Cricket solution — explaining how it delivers stable, year-round revenue for Operators, strengthens engagement during high-demand periods like the upcoming IPL, and sets the foundation for a broader portfolio of upcoming AI-powered games.

• What truly sets AI Cricket eCSL apart as a real AI-powered cricket experience rather than traditional virtual sports content?

What truly sets AI Cricket eCSL apart is that it is not a traditional virtual product built on RNG or pre-scripted match scenarios. There are no fixed animation loops and no predetermined outcomes behind the scenes.

Every single ball is generated by an advanced AI model that incorporates real player attributes, performance logic and dynamic in-game factors. The system evaluates conditions in real time, meaning outcomes evolve naturally rather than following a predefined script.

As a result, gameplay feels organic and unpredictable — much closer to real sport than classic virtual simulations. For Operators, this creates a fundamentally different betting experience: one driven by intelligent modeling rather than randomization, delivering authenticity, credibility and deeper engagement.

• Why do you position AI Cricket as a strategic growth driver rather than just another content addition?

We position AI Cricket as a strategic growth driver because it goes far beyond simply adding another content vertical to a Sportsbook. It addresses one of the biggest structural challenges in cricket betting — seasonality.

Traditional cricket content is calendar-dependent. There are peaks during major tournaments and clear slow periods in between. AI Cricket eliminates that gap by delivering continuous, year-round cricket action. With more than 20,000 monthly events, Operators are not relying on external schedules — they control consistent engagement and turnover.

On top of that, the fully automated trading model and stable 8%+ margins transform it from entertainment content into a scalable business engine. There is no need for additional trading resources, and profitability remains predictable.

For our Partners at Betbazar, AI Cricket is not just “more content.” It is a controlled, automated and sustainable revenue stream designed to drive long-term growth rather than short-term spikes.

• What makes AI Cricket a complete plug-and-play solution from integration to 24/7 operations?

AI Cricket is a true plug-and-play solution because we deliver everything an Operator needs in one fully integrated package. It’s not just a video feed or just an odds feed — it’s the complete system: high-quality video stream, real-time data, fully managed odds feed, and an automated trading engine, all integrated via a standard sportsbook API.

The technical integration is straightforward and typically takes only 2–4 weeks. Once live, Operators benefit from 24/7 operations with 99.93% uptime, without the need to build or maintain an in-house trading team.

From a B2B perspective, it’s a ready-to-deploy, scalable product from Betbazar. Operators don’t need additional resources, complex infrastructure, or manual intervention. They simply integrate, activate, and start generating revenue.

• With the upcoming IPL season generating massive attention, how does AI Cricket help Operators turn this momentum into long-term growth?

IPL is a massive traffic and engagement driver — but it’s also very concentrated. There are peak hours, match windows, and then there are gaps: pre-match build-up, breaks between games, and days without fixtures.

This is exactly where AI Cricket becomes a strategic tool. Operators can use AI Cricket to bridge the waiting time between IPL matches, keeping cricket fans active on the platform instead of losing them to competitors. Short 3–6 minute AI matches are perfect for maintaining momentum — they extend the IPL experience rather than competing with it.

Before the big game starts, AI Cricket can “warm up” the audience. During downtime, it keeps betting cycles alive. After the match ends, it sustains engagement instead of allowing activity to drop. In other words, IPL creates the emotional peak — AI Cricket helps Operators monetize the anticipation, the breaks, and the aftermath.

• What would you say to Operators who are considering integrating AI Cricket into their Sportsbook?

I would say this: AI Cricket is not a test product or a seasonal experiment — it’s a structured, revenue-focused solution built for operators who want predictability and control.

Cricket demand doesn’t disappear outside major tournaments, but traditional supply does. AI Cricket allows Operators to stay present in that space consistently, without being dependent on external calendars or additional operational resources.

It combines automation, scalability, and steady margin performance in a way that reduces complexity rather than adding to it. There is no need to expand trading teams or build new workflows — the system is designed to run efficiently and independently.

• Are you planning to expand your portfolio with more AI-powered games besides Cricket?

Yes, expanding our portfolio with additional AI-powered games is a natural next step for us. AI Cricket has clearly demonstrated that true AI-driven sports simulation is not only technologically viable, but commercially powerful.

We’ve seen how this model delivers both strong business performance and sustained player engagement — combining realism, automation, and margin stability in a scalable framework. That validation gives us confidence to apply the same AI-driven approach to other sports and formats.

For Betbazar, this is not just about launching one successful product. It’s about building a broader AI Games portfolio that helps Operators access continuous, intelligent, and automated sports content designed for long-term growth.

About Betbazar

Betbazar is a product-first iGaming technology company that empowers Operators with profitable solutions. From low-latency Live Data Feed and AI-driven products to a Turnkey Platform and Sportsbook Solutions, the company delivers performance, reliability and growth Operators need to stay ahead. Betbazar is a long-term technology partner, helping Operators integrate faster, operate smarter and scale stronger.

Website: https://betbazar.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betbazar

Evoplay guides players through frozen wilds in Mystic Alaska , Evoplay explores a wintry frontier with Mystic Alaska, created by Evoplay Studios, a production label within the company’s ecosystem.

Mystic Alaska combines atmospheric design, shamanic-inspired elements and feature-driven mechanics, offering potential payouts of up to 1,000x the bet when key features align.

Players encounter enchanted Coins, Magic Pots and Totem Portals throughout gameplay, unlocking instant rewards, fixed jackpots and wild multipliers. Wild symbols appear on reels two to four, substituting for all regular icons except Coins and Bonus symbols, helping complete winning combinations in both the base game and Free Spins.

Coin symbols carry random values ranging from 0.5x to 15x the bet and can trigger Mini, Mega or Super jackpots, reaching up to 1,000x the stake. The Magic Feature activates when a Totem Portal lands on reel one or five alongside at least one Coin, awarding all visible prizes and jackpots. When Totem Portals appear on both triggering reels simultaneously, all values are doubled.

Landing three or more Bonus symbols unlocks the Bonus Feature, where players can choose between Magic Spins and Free Spins. Magic Spins guarantee at least one Totem Portal per round, with multipliers and additional spins enhancing potential rewards. Free Spins introduce Wild multipliers of 2x, 3x or 5x, which combine when multiple Wilds contribute to a win, creating amplified payout potential.

For players seeking immediate feature access, a Bonus Buy option is available in selected markets, allowing direct entry into Magic Spins or Free Spins.

Ivan Kravchuk, CEO at Evoplay, said: “Mystic Alaska captures the beauty and power of the Alaskan wilderness, transporting players into a world where spirits guide every turn. The combination of Magic Spins, Free Spins and powerful jackpots ensures each spin tells a story.

“The aim was to create a slot that balances narrative and feature clarity, giving players a sense of adventure while offering multiple pathways to potential wins.”

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