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MRC Online Courses

The Cost of Ad Fraud

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Digital advertising creates tremendous opportunities for organizations to reach customers, generate leads, and drive revenue. However, it also creates opportunities for fraud. Fraudulent traffic, fake clicks, manipulated impressions, and other forms of invalid activity can waste advertising budgets, distort performance metrics, and undermine confidence in business decisions.

 

MRC Members: USD $100 (plus applicable taxes)
Non-members: USD $200 (plus applicable taxes)   

Enroll | Members Enroll | Non-Members

This course provides a practical introduction to ad fraud, invalid traffic (IVT), and the techniques organizations use to identify, prevent, and manage advertising fraud risks. Learners will explore how fraudsters exploit weaknesses in the digital advertising ecosystem, how fraudulent activity impacts advertising performance and business outcomes, and how industry standards help organizations improve traffic quality and measurement accuracy. Whether you are responsible for digital marketing, fraud prevention, analytics, or business operations, this course provides foundational knowledge and practical frameworks to help you recognize warning signs, evaluate traffic quality, and make more informed advertising investment decisions.

FAQs

    • Digital Marketing Professionals responsible for managing advertising campaigns, media budgets, performance measurement, and campaign optimization.
    • Fraud and Risk Managers seeking to understand how invalid traffic and advertising fraud impact business performance, data quality, and fraud prevention efforts.
    • Analytics and Data Professionals responsible for interpreting campaign results, identifying anomalies, and maintaining confidence in business reporting.
    • Advertising Operations and Media Buying Teams involved in campaign execution, traffic evaluation, publisher relationships, and advertising quality controls.
    • Business Leaders and Decision Makers looking to understand how advertising fraud affects marketing effectiveness, customer acquisition, and strategic decision-making.
    • Digital Marketing Professionals responsible for managing advertising campaigns, media budgets, performance measurement, and campaign optimization.
    • Fraud and Risk Managers seeking to understand how invalid traffic and advertising fraud impact business performance, data quality, and fraud prevention efforts.
    • Analytics and Data Professionals responsible for interpreting campaign results, identifying anomalies, and maintaining confidence in business reporting.
    • Advertising Operations and Media Buying Teams involved in campaign execution, traffic evaluation, publisher relationships, and advertising quality controls.
    • Business Leaders and Decision Makers looking to understand how advertising fraud affects marketing effectiveness, customer acquisition, and strategic decision-making.
    • Define ad fraud and invalid traffic (IVT) and explain how they affect digital advertising performance.
    • Identify common types of ad fraud and the warning signs associated with suspicious traffic.
    • Describe how ad fraud operates across search, social, display, mobile, and programmatic advertising environments.
    • Analyze campaign data and real-world scenarios to recognize potential indicators of fraudulent activity.
    • Apply prevention, detection, and governance strategies to help protect advertising investments and support more reliable business decisions.
    • Define ad fraud and invalid traffic (IVT) and explain how they affect digital advertising performance.
    • Identify common types of ad fraud and the warning signs associated with suspicious traffic.
    • Describe how ad fraud operates across search, social, display, mobile, and programmatic advertising environments.
    • Analyze campaign data and real-world scenarios to recognize potential indicators of fraudulent activity.
    • Apply prevention, detection, and governance strategies to help protect advertising investments and support more reliable business decisions.
    • Program Level: Foundational
    • Field of Study: Fraud Prevention & Detection
    • Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study
    • CPE Credits: 2
    • Advanced Preparation: No advanced preparation is required. A basic understanding of digital advertising, marketing, analytics, or fraud prevention concepts may be helpful but is not required.
    • Program Level: Foundational
    • Field of Study: Fraud Prevention & Detection
    • Delivery Method: QAS Self-Study
    • CPE Credits: 2
    • Advanced Preparation: No advanced preparation is required. A basic understanding of digital advertising, marketing, analytics, or fraud prevention concepts may be helpful but is not required.
  • Refund Policy: Refunds and cancellations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Cancellations must be communicated in writing to programs@merchantriskcouncil.org. No refunds will be issued once a course has been started.

    Refund Policy: Refunds and cancellations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Cancellations must be communicated in writing to programs@merchantriskcouncil.org. No refunds will be issued once a course has been started.

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The Merchant Risk Council is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: nasbaregistry.org