Advertising Click Fraud continues to increase

During the first quarter of 2010, advertising click fraud is estimated to have increased 2-4% from the prior quarter.

Cybercriminals increase Internet advertising click fraud
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2010-04-26-clickfraud26_ST_N.htm

QUOTE: In the first three months of this year, 17% to 29% of clicks to online ads were fraudulent, according to separate estimates by Click Forensics and Anchor Intelligence, leading suppliers of click fraud detection technology. That's up from 15% to 25% in fourth-quarter 2009. Advertisers pay website owners every time someone clicks on one of their online ads. Fraudulent clicks can occur manually, by an unscrupulous website owner, or by someone looking to waste a rival's ad budget.

Most often, click fraud is the work of cybercriminals who put up websites carrying online ads and no other content. The criminals then retain the services of cybergangs in control of sprawling networks of infected PCs, called botnets, which are directed to repeatedly click on the ads. This triggers payments to the crooks who put up the Web page.