In the wake of the JLR cyberattack, the costliest in UK history, the spotlight is rightly on cybersecurity. But while cyber breaches grab headlines, another kind of attack is quietly eroding budgets and trust. Ad fraud is surging across automotive and financial sectors, exploiting premium digital environments and AI tools. Forbes argues that brands can turn the tide by harnessing AI verification to expose fake impressions, protect spend, and ensure real engagement.
Automotive and financial brands are no strangers to malicious attacks that can cause millions in economic damage. Sophisticated digital offensives, capable of disrupting operations and revenue streams overnight, are increasingly common. However, while cyber breaches and ransomware attacks make headlines, another, quieter online threat is circulating behind the scenes and hitting these brands where it hurts: advertising fraud.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Access deeper industry intelligence
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
Research predicts that the global cost of fraudulent ads is set to increase from £64bn in 2023 to £131bn by 2028. In 2023, there was a 23% year-over-year surge in fraud compared to the previous year, and new nefarious schemes are emerging daily. According to DV internal data, the automotive and financial sectors have seen a notable spike in ad fraud violations, with both experiencing recent increases of over 10%.
When brands pay for online ads to drive genuine engagement, fraudsters have at their fingertips an arsenal to deliver what appears to be an impactful campaign, but in reality is an illusion. From hijacking users’ devices, malicious apps, spoofed websites, and false traffic generated by an army of bots, these tactics are all designed to inflate metrics of success and capture ad spend. This doesn’t just hurt the advertiser; it siphons money away from publishers and platforms.
The danger to automotive and financial brands
So why are automotive and finance the targets of these groups? The answer comes down to two key factors.
Their campaigns typically require premium inventory, ranging from Connected TV (CTV) ads to display and social campaigns. These are exactly what fraudsters are looking for: high-cost and high-reach digital environments that can be exploited. Add to that what are often sizeable ad budgets, and you have a prime target for ad fraud rings.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataAutomotive brands have long invested heavily in TV placements, which, on the surface, may sound challenging to manipulate. Yet, as budgets shift from linear TV to CTV, the risk increases. In fact, streaming TV is particularly susceptible to fraud. Fraudsters exploit the programmatic nature of CTV to spoof devices, falsify impressions, and mimic legitimate households.
Last year, a scheme known as CycloneBot was uncovered, which orchestrated longer CTV sessions for each device to resemble the activity of real users. It generated up to 250 million falsified ad requests and approximately 1.5 million devices daily, leading to an estimated monthly impact of up to £5.6 million ($7.5 million) across unprotected advertisers.
Automotive and finance aren’t alone in this. Other sectors have also seen spikes in attacks. Fraudsters chase the money, and where budgets are high, the risk of fraud is significant.
Fighting fire with fire
The good news is that solutions exist, and they are increasingly accessible. Even as bad actors exploit AI’s rapid advancements, the technology also offers robust defences. In particular, algorithm-driven tools are readily available to safeguard the media of automotive and finance brands from fraud.
Only advanced AI and machine learning algorithms can process the vast amounts of data produced by these rogue AIs and determine definitively whether an impression is legitimate or not. This includes identifying macro-scale trends over a long period or extremely subtle pattern variations that are consistent with bot behaviour.
While no tool can prevent fraud completely, AI-powered verification helps brands respond in real-time to threats, preemptively exclude these environments, and save large sums in wasted ad spend. Moreover, these tools can help automotive and finance brands analyse signals such as attention, viewability, and brand suitability, ensuring that spend drives the outcomes that matter.
As AI’s potential grows, the need for marketers to remain vigilant also grows. Cyberattacks are loud, but ad fraud is a quieter, still insidious threat that can drain millions. Automotive and finance brands that invest in tools that support this vigilance will ensure they’re not being duped, real people are seeing their campaigns, and their budgets are making a meaningful impact.
Automotive and financial brands are no strangers to malicious attacks that can cause millions in economic damage. Sophisticated digital offensives, capable of disrupting operations and revenue streams overnight, are increasingly common. However, while cyber breaches and ransomware attacks make headlines, another, quieter online threat is circulating behind the scenes and hitting these brands where it hurts: advertising fraud.
Research predicts that the global cost of fraudulent ads is set to increase from £64 billion in 2023 to £131 billion by 2028. In 2023, there was a 23% year-over-year surge in fraud compared to the previous year, and new nefarious schemes are emerging daily. According to DV internal data, the automotive and financial sectors have seen a notable spike in ad fraud violations, with both experiencing recent increases of over 10%.
When brands pay for online ads to drive genuine engagement, fraudsters have at their fingertips an arsenal to deliver what appears to be an impactful campaign, but in reality is an illusion. From hijacking users’ devices, malicious apps, spoofed websites, and false traffic generated by an army of bots, these tactics are all designed to inflate metrics of success and capture ad spend. This doesn’t just hurt the advertiser; it siphons money away from publishers and platforms.
The danger to automotive and financial brands
So why are automotive and finance the targets of these groups? The answer comes down to two key factors.
Their campaigns typically require premium inventory, ranging from Connected TV (CTV) ads to display and social campaigns. These are exactly what fraudsters are looking for: high-cost and high-reach digital environments that can be exploited. Add to that what are often sizeable ad budgets, and you have a prime target for ad fraud rings.
Automotive brands have long invested heavily in TV placements, which, on the surface, may sound challenging to manipulate. Yet, as budgets shift from linear TV to CTV, the risk increases. In fact, streaming TV is particularly susceptible to fraud. Fraudsters exploit the programmatic nature of CTV to spoof devices, falsify impressions, and mimic legitimate households.
Last year, a scheme known as CycloneBot was uncovered, which orchestrated longer CTV sessions for each device to resemble the activity of real users. It generated up to 250 million falsified ad requests and approximately 1.5 million devices daily, leading to an estimated monthly impact of up to £5.6 million ($7.5 million) across unprotected advertisers.
Automotive and finance aren’t alone in this. Other sectors have also seen spikes in attacks. Fraudsters chase the money, and where budgets are high, the risk of fraud is significant.
Fighting fire with fire
The good news is that solutions exist, and they are increasingly accessible. Even as bad actors exploit AI’s rapid advancements, the technology also offers robust defences. In particular, algorithm-driven tools are readily available to safeguard the media of automotive and finance brands from fraud.
Only advanced AI and machine learning algorithms can process the vast amounts of data produced by these rogue AIs and determine definitively whether an impression is legitimate or not. This includes identifying macro-scale trends over a long period or extremely subtle pattern variations that are consistent with bot behaviour.
While no tool can prevent fraud completely, AI-powered verification helps brands respond in real-time to threats, preemptively exclude these environments, and save large sums in wasted ad spend. Moreover, these tools can help automotive and finance brands analyse signals such as attention, viewability, and brand suitability, ensuring that spend drives the outcomes that matter.
As AI’s potential grows, the need for marketers to remain vigilant also grows. Cyberattacks are loud, but ad fraud is a quieter, still insidious threat that can drain millions. Automotive and finance brands that invest in tools that support this vigilance will ensure they’re not being duped, real people are seeing their campaigns, and their budgets are making a meaningful impact.
