Ad fraud isn’t a niche problem, it’s the business model.

In this episode of The Skeptical Marketer, host Jake Surrey sits down with Dr. Augustine Fou, one of the original investigators of digital ad fraud and the founder of Fou Analytics, to unpack just how deep and normalized the problem has become. From fake websites and cloned mobile apps to legacy fraud verification firms that look the other way, Dr. Fou explains why the digital ad ecosystem remains a playground for organized crime—and why marketers can’t rely on regulation or the platforms to save them. Drawing on 15 years of research and real-world auditing experience, he reveals how advertisers can finally take back control of their ad dollars and demand accountability.

Key takeaways & lessons:

• The scale of the problem: Fou estimates that up to 90% of programmatic ad impressions are fake—driven by bots, fake websites, and cloned mobile apps.
•  The illusion of safety: Legacy fraud verification firms report only ~1% invalid traffic, masking how widespread ad fraud truly is.
•  Why big brands lose more: Enterprise advertisers chasing cheap CPMs and big impression counts are prime targets for fraud.
•  Regulation won’t save you: With no anti-fraud laws or enforcement in digital advertising, marketers must protect themselves.
• AI’s limited impact: Generative AI won’t solve or exponentially worsen ad fraud—it simply makes it easier for bad actors to scale fake content.

Dr. Augustine Fou’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustinefou
Fou Analytics Website: https://www.fouanalytics.com

This episode is brought to you by clearmotive marketing, in partnership with Ptak & Co. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure you subscribe to The Skeptical Marketer and leave us a five-star review on your platform of choice. It really helps the show!