Antifraud — is a system that detects and prevents fraud. The term comes from English: fraud means «deception», while anti means «against». Antifraud systems are used by banks, payment services, advertising platforms and affiliate networks. For example, a bank blocks a transfer if it looks suspicious, while an advertising platform doesn't count clicks from bots.
The fraudulent activity itself is called fraud.
How antifraud works
The system monitors user actions and looks for behavior that doesn't resemble that of a real person. For example:
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many leads or clicks from the same IP address or device;
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actions performed too quickly: a form is completed in just a few seconds;
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identical information in different lead submissions;
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a user is from one country, but their IP address is from another;
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logging into an account through suspicious proxies.
Most checks are performed automatically, but moderators review disputed cases.
Antifraud in traffic arbitrage
Affiliate marketers encounter two types of antifraud systems.
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Advertising platform antifraud. Facebook, Google and TikTok check accounts: which devices and IP addresses are used to access them, how they behave and which payment cards are linked to them. If the system suspects a violation or detects connections between accounts, it may block them.
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Affiliate network and advertiser antifraud. These systems check the leads generated by affiliate marketers. If they detect bots, duplicate submissions or fake information, those leads won't be paid for. In cases of serious violations, the affiliate marketer's account may also be blocked.
Important: antifraud systems sometimes reject legitimate traffic as well. If accidental clicks and bots come from the same platform, the system may consider all leads from that source suspicious. That's why it's important to monitor traffic source quality and disable sources that generate low-quality traffic.
