Satoko Ohtsuki on Fighting Ad Fraud and Improving Lead Quality

1. What are the most common signs that indicate a lead might be fraudulent?

A lot of businesses first realize something’s wrong when they spot obviously fake or incomplete info in a lead. That part’s easy to catch. But what tends to slip through the cracks are unusual patterns in user behavior - stuff that normal users just wouldn’t do. We’ve seen cases where fraud came from competitors or even unknown attackers. That’s actually one of the reasons we created our Fake Lead Protection service to help tackle this problem from the ground up.

2. What methods are currently used across the industry to verify and authenticate leads in digital marketing?

There are some go-to methods out there—things like lead scoring tools, call validation, double opt-ins, and data verification systems. But honestly, the reality is that a lot of companies still can’t fully connect their ad data to what’s happening with actual leads. Because of that gap, fake leads can sneak in, mess with your metrics, and waste your marketing spend. What’s really needed is a setup that ties everything together—so ad data and lead data actually talk to each other—and makes lead verification more precise.

3. What role do AI and machine learning play in detecting and preventing ad fraud in lead generation?

AI and machine learning have really changed the game. They’re great at catching things like botnets and attribution fraud that older methods might miss, and they work in real time. But they’re not a silver bullet. To really be effective, you need to mix AI with more traditional, rule-based approaches—like using blacklists or behavior-based detection. It’s that combination that gives you a reliable fraud defense.

4. How do evolving data privacy regulations influence the approach businesses take toward lead verification and fraud prevention?

It’s true regulations like GDPR or CCPA have definitely made things trickier when it comes to verifying leads and preventing fraud. But that doesn’t mean fraud prevention is off the table. Just like laws don’t stop crime entirely, these rules don’t make fraud go away. What’s important is that businesses work within those boundaries to reduce fraud and keep their marketing practices clean and transparent.

5. What emerging ad fraud tactics should businesses be aware of, and how can they proactively mitigate these risks?

Fraud is getting more and more sophisticated lately. Traditional countermeasures just don’t cut it anymore. One wild example we’ve seen is with brick-and-mortar businesses—fraudsters actually hire people to walk into stores just to trigger “store visit” conversions. On paper, it looks like a successful ad result, so advertisers end up paying out. But it’s fake. These kinds of scams are hard to catch just by looking at lead info. That’s why it’s so important to dig deeper—analyze user behavior, be selective about ad placements, and use solid fraud prevention tools. It’s the only way to run smarter, cleaner campaigns.

6. What key factors should businesses consider when selecting a fraud prevention solution for their digital campaigns?

As ad fraud keeps getting more advanced, picking the right solution is critical—not just to protect your brand, but also to make sure you’re actually getting a return on your ad spend. Transparency is a big one. Some tools are basically black boxes—you don’t really know how they’re detecting fraud, which makes it tough to trust the data. You want a solution that clearly explains what metrics it uses, offers real-time data visualization, and presents everything in a way your marketing team can understand. Tools like Spider AF do a great job of that—it’s all about giving teams the visibility they need to take action confidently.

7. What are the most relevant KPIs for evaluating the success of fraud detection and mitigation strategies?

To really know if your anti-fraud strategy is working, you can’t just look at the number of leads—you need to look at the quality. One key metric is conversion rate: if that improves after filtering out fake leads, it’s a good sign your lead quality is up. Another is the fraudulent lead rate—how many of your leads are actually fake? And of course, there’s the cost angle: are you spending less time and money chasing bad leads? If all three of those are heading in the right direction, your strategy’s probably on point.

8. How do you see fraud prevention evolving over the next five years, and what innovations could reshape the industry?

We’re already seeing fraudsters using AI to optimize their tactics—they’re even building their own SSPs and manipulating ad placements and IPs to maximize profits. It’s only going to get more sophisticated from here, and that means traditional rule-based detection just won’t be enough. But it’s not just about upgrading the tech. Everyone involved in digital business needs to level up their awareness and make fraud prevention part of their everyday mindset. As an industry, we’ve got to treat marketing security as a shared responsibility if we want a healthier, more trustworthy ecosystem.

Spider AF is a globally recognized, real-time ad fraud protection tool. They are currently offering a free trial for their service. For more information, go to: https://spideraf.com/