DoubleVerify (DV) blows the whistle on a dangerous surge in AI-fueled ad fraud targeting mobile apps. Fraudsters deploy low-quality apps on iOS and Android to hijack devices, serve fake ads, and rack up bogus impressions. This new wave, powered by generative AI, slips past app store defences and hits advertisers hard.
Fraudulent iOS apps triple the five-year average, while Android fraud jumps nearly six times. These malicious apps don’t just steal clicks—they erode trust across the ad ecosystem. “Apps that once got rejected now sneak through,” says Yuval Rubin, DV’s Fraud Detection Group Lead. “Sophisticated AI tactics drive this chaos.”
Fraudsters harness AI to craft convincing apps, whip up phony reviews, and mimic real user actions. Detection grows tougher as AI lowers entry barriers for crooks. Take one DV-highlighted case: A bare-bones gaming app churned out 200,000 daily impressions with crude graphics and AI-spun reviews. It dodged safeguards using fake text and a templated site on tempisite.com, a hub for phishing too.
DV spots patterns from past busts, like 2024’s AI fake reviews and 2023’s SmokeScreen malware on CTV devices. Now, AI-fueled ad fraud spreads to mobile, web, CTV, audio, gaming, and retail media, hitting every corner.
Marketplace Struggles and Urgent Fixes for AI-Fueled Ad Fraud
App stores fight back, but cracks show. Apple nixed 1.93 million submissions in 2025—a 10% rise—yet fakes persist. Direct buys and Private Marketplace (PMP) deals face invasion too; fraudsters resell tainted traffic as “clean.”
DV urges advertisers to ditch blind trust and adopt independent verification. Here’s what experts recommend to combat AI-fueled ad fraud:
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- Boost AI Detection: Marketplaces must layer GenAI tools with human reviews to flag sneaky apps faster.
- Verify All Channels: Scan direct and PMP buys for fraud—no more safe assumptions.
- Track and Report: Use DV’s annual probes to expose schemes early, saving ad budgets from waste.
Unchecked, this trend wastes millions in ad spend, squeezes legit developers, and sparks stricter policies. DV’s Fraud Lab blends AI smarts and expert eyes to unmask thousands of threats yearly. The clear call: In the GenAI age, vigilance guards every ad dollar. Advertisers, act now to outsmart the fraudsters.
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