Some advertising networks or platforms use mobile app install fraud to artificially inflate download numbers, thereby generating revenue. Estimates suggest this fraud could account for between 15% and 25% of paid installs, although these figures remain controversial. In 2018, AppsFlyer, a mobile attribution company, analyzed 17 billion installs across 7,000 apps and discovered fraud rates of 26% globally and 15% in the United States, with the gaming sector being particularly affected.

The gaming industry is likely one of the most vulnerable to this type of fraud. Adjust, a company specializing in this area, estimated that install fraud rates could reach up to 30% in the gaming app sector. As with click fraud, install fraud can result from fraudulent downloads performed either by real, paid users or by bots. In the first case, these individuals are financially incentivized to download apps. Some of this fraud can potentially be detected by the advertiser by carefully monitoring their data.

“Fraudulent re-engagement” is another form of install fraud, involving the conversion of organic installs into paid installs by publishers. Sometimes, install fraud is orchestrated to manipulate the ranking algorithms of mobile apps in online app stores. In these situations, the app publisher may be complicit in or even the instigator of the fraud. In 2017, Uber sued one of its marketing providers, seeking $50 million in damages for fraudulent installs. An expert specializing in this field sheds light on the practices.