USAH: Do you have any stories about Facebook?
A few years ago I was at a Wynn Nightclub with some major facebook marketers. They were putting down at least $50,000 at the nightclub, were with a bunch of paid girlfriends – and one of the supervisors at Facebook’s ad division. The guy was so high and drunk at the time that he tripped over himself, went sprawling all over the place. He spilled his briefcase, and money spilled out of it, all $100’s. The people there admitted he came to Vegas all the time to take bribes.
USAH: What can marketers do to prevent fraud?
Ask around: If they really care, they can find out who the fraudsters are, and not work with them. It’s probably the first step in working in this industry. It’s not that hard: make a list, ask others, and then take notes about what every company says about potential partners. Additionally, you can always (smile) hire me.
USAH: Are their any companies you recommend for fraud protection?
Not anymore – as they have all been bought out, and worse, paid off. Some of them are nothing more than technology that was good a decade ago, while the fraudsters have become more and more sophisticated. A really easy way to monitor all potential fraud is to look at metrics, and run some back end ROI algorithms. If there is a bunch of clicks, and zero conversions compared to a normal campaign where there would be tons of conversions, it’s likely fraud. Put that in your contract that you expect normal metrics that are found on most legitimate advertising platforms.
