Facebook Sues Two Android App Developers for Click Injection Fraud

Facebook has filed a lawsuit against two shady Android app
developers accused of making illegal money by hijacking users’
smartphones to fraudulently click on Facebook ads.

According to Facebook, Hong Kong-based ‘LionMobi’ and
Singapore-based ‘JediMobi’ app developers were distributing
malicious Android apps via the official Google Play Store that
exploit a technique known as “click injection fraud.”

Click injection is a type of attribution fraud where fraudsters
manipulate the attributions to steal the credit from the actual
source of app installation in an advertising process that involves
Cost Per Installation model.

In simple words, a malicious app installed on a device
automatically generates a fake click to the advertisement network
with its own tracking codes when it finds that the user is
installing a new app from any other source to claim itself as the
source of the installation.

Therefore, Advertisers end up paying commission to the wrong
sources/publishers who had no role in helping install promoted
apps.

Click injection is a fairly common form of ad fraud and is not
just limited to Facebook Audience Network, a platform that helps
publishers monetize their third-party apps and websites with ads
from global Facebook advertisers.

Late last year, Cheetah Mobile—a prominent Chinese app company,
known for its popular utility apps like Clean Master and Battery
Doctor—were also caught up in an Android ad fraud scheme that stole
millions of dollars from advertisers.

Facebook says it has banned the developers from its ad network
and refunded impacted advertisers back in March 2019.

It appears Google has also suspected Play Store accounts for
both, LionMobi and JediMobi, developers.