Affiliate
Forensics

For bookmakers · Theme 04 of 04

Who in your business is paid to find fraud?

In most operators, affiliate fraud detection falls between teams. Affiliate managers are rewarded for volume, IT looks after the platform and compliance checks advertising rules. Nobody owns the question of whether the traffic you pay for is real.

  1. Q-20Question

    Do your affiliate managers’ KPIs include fraud detection and cost saving?

    If affiliate managers are targeted only on FTDs, the fraudulent affiliate is their best performer. Asking them to investigate it means asking them to cut their own numbers.

    Incentives need to reward traffic quality and money saved, not just volume.

    Red flagAffiliate team bonuses depend only on FTD and revenue growth.
    What we checkHow your affiliate team is measured, and what changes would reward catching fraud rather than hiding it.
  2. Q-21Question

    Who is responsible for detecting affiliate fraud in your organisation? IT? The marketing team?

    IT understands scripts and headers but not commission structures. Marketing understands affiliates but not redirect chains. Payments and bonus-abuse teams look at players, not partners.

    Without one clear owner, affiliate fraud detection falls between teams and doesn’t happen. In multi-brand groups it’s worse: each brand’s affiliate team often works alone, and fraudsters know which teams are stretched.

    Red flagEach team assumes another one is doing it, or each brand handles it differently.
    What we checkWho owns what today, and a practical split of responsibilities that leaves no gaps.
  3. Q-22Question

    What fraud detection do you currently do? None?

    A spreadsheet of FTD trends is not fraud detection. Detection means testing affiliates’ traffic regularly, capturing evidence and acting on what you find.

    Red flagYou can’t describe your affiliate fraud checks in one sentence.
    What we checkYour current checks against the techniques actually in use, and a monitoring plan to close the difference.
  4. Q-23Question

    When you detect fraud, do you give the affiliate a second chance?

    You shouldn’t. A fraudster who gets a warning comes back with better cloaking. When fraud is found, close the account and cancel any lifetime revenue share.

    Anything less tells the market your programme is a soft target.

    Red flagFraud has been “resolved” with a warning, a reduced rate or a fresh start.
    What we checkThe evidence you need to terminate cleanly and withhold commission without a drawn-out dispute.
  5. Q-24Question

    Are fraud penalties built into your affiliate terms and conditions?

    You can only act decisively if your terms let you. Many operator terms ban “fraud” in general words but don’t name the techniques, require channels to be declared, give you a right to audit or let you cancel lifetime revenue share.

    We can help you write those terms.

    Red flagYour legal team isn’t sure you could cancel a fraudulent affiliate’s lifetime revenue share.
    What we checkYour current terms against the techniques we see, with clauses drafted to close each gap.

Ownership

A split that leaves no gaps.

Fraud detection works when every team knows its part, and someone independent checks the result.

Affiliate team

  • KPIs include traffic quality and cost saved
  • Channels declared at sign-up, kept current
  • Act on findings without renegotiating
  • Fraud found on one brand shared with every brand

Web & IT

  • Script inventory and change control
  • CSP and frame protection on every domain
  • Tag Manager access reviewed regularly

Compliance & legal

  • Fraud techniques named in the terms
  • Right to audit any affiliate, any time
  • Termination and revenue share forfeiture

Independent audit (us)

  • Every affiliate tested on every brand it promotes
  • Evidence packs for each finding
  • Ongoing monitoring between audits

Terms & conditions

Terms that give you teeth.

Zero tolerance only works if it’s written down before you need it. We help you draft the technical and commercial clauses; your legal team or counsel signs them off.

Get help with your terms →
  • Mandatory channel declaration, including media-buying placements and sub-affiliates
  • Prohibited techniques named: cookie stuffing, click-hijacking, iframing, forced redirects, brand-term bidding, unauthorised extensions
  • Right to audit traffic at any time, from any market or device
  • Immediate termination for proven fraud, with no second chance
  • Cancellation of lifetime revenue share and forfeiture of unpaid commission
  • Clawback of commission already paid on fraudulent traffic
  • Liability for sub-affiliates and traffic suppliers
THEME 01Q-01 to Q-06

Your website & tags

Scripts on landing pages, who controls your Google tags, Content Security Policy, iframing, cookie stuffing and click-hijacking.

Read the questions →
THEME 02Q-07 to Q-14

Where affiliates promote you

Declared channels, “media buyers”, vetting, and why fraudsters stay clean on your flagship brand and target your weaker ones.

Read the questions →
THEME 03Q-15 to Q-19

Warning signs in your numbers

Organic affiliates leaving, a “saturated market”, conversion concentrated in media buyers, and big partners on fixed fees.

Read the questions →
THEME 04Q-20 to Q-24

Ownership, incentives & terms

Who is responsible, what affiliate managers are rewarded for, zero tolerance, and terms that stop fraud coming back.

You are here

Next step

Make fraud detection somebody’s job.

We’ll audit your affiliates, help you rewrite your terms and set up monitoring, so the fraud you find stays gone.

Request an audit → Take the self-check