Ad Fraud Isn’t a Glitch. It’s a Business Model.

Ad Fraud Isn’t a Glitch. It’s a Business Model.

From Advertising in America by Ryan Chute

January 8, 2026 · 47 min · Season 1 · Episode 25

About this episode

The episode discusses the systemic nature of ad fraud in digital advertising and the incentives behind it.

Let’s be honest, ad fraud isn’t a glitch in the system. It is the system. In this episode of Advertising in America, Ryan Chute, Mick Torbay, Chris Torbay, Vi Wickam, and Christina Gressianu pull the curtain back on the dirty economics of digital advertising. From bot traffic and fake clicks to AI expansion that floods your campaigns with people who were never going to buy. They explain why Google and social platforms are financially incentivized to let some fraud slip through, how display ne...

People in this episode

Host: Ryan Chute

Guests: Mick Torbay, Chris Torbay, Vi Wickam, Christina Gressianu

Topics covered

  • ad fraud
  • digital advertising
  • bot traffic
  • fake clicks
  • AI in advertising

Keywords

  • digital marketing
  • advertising economics
  • fraud detection

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Advertising in America

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