DoubleVerify blocks ‘ViperBot’ fraud scheme targeting $8m per month in ad spend

Digital media analytics platform DoubleVerify (DV) has uncovered a sophisticated advertising fraud scheme, “ViperBot”, that attempts to steal over $8 million each month in ad spend across connected television (CTV) and mobile video.

Fraudsters use ViperBot to strip the code that verifies ad impressions and then conceal and redirect the code through real devices to hide the fraudulent activity in an attempt to go undetected. The scheme continues to spoof more than five million devices and 85 million ad requests per day, undercutting ad investments and performance without fraud protection solutions.

“ViperBot is one of the most sophisticated fraud schemes that DV has ever identified,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO at DoubleVerify. “The dynamic nature of fraud schemes underscores the fact that advertisers need a partner who is laser focused on protecting their interests – and who operates independent of the media transaction to remain neutral when determining the quality of inventory.”