Pay up or we’ll make Google ban your ads (krebsonsecurity.com)

Article summary

A new email-based extortion scheme targets website owners using Google's AdSense program, demanding bitcoin in exchange for not flooding the publisher's ads with bot and junk traffic. The scammers threaten to trigger Google's automated anti-fraud systems, which could suspend the user's AdSense account. Google has stated that it has measures in place to prevent sabotage and encourages publishers to report concerns about invalid traffic. The company also has a help center and a form for publishers to contact them if they believe they are victims of sabotage.

Main themes

• AdSense extortion
• Google's anti-fraud systems
• Sabotage protection
• Publisher concerns
• Bitcoin demands

What commenters say

• Google's automated systems are prone to false positives and can be easily triggered by scammers, causing legitimate accounts to be banned.
• The company's lack of human support and recourse for banned accounts can lead to frustration and financial losses for publishers.
• Implementing captchas or other authentication measures may not be effective in preventing ad fraud and extortion.
• Google's reputation and business are protected by banning accounts suspected of fraud, but this approach can be unfair to legitimate publishers.
• The timing of fraud detection, often coinciding with payout thresholds, raises suspicions about Google's motives and methods.
• The absence of a clear appeals process and human review for banned accounts is a major concern for publishers.
• Google's systems are vulnerable to exploitation by scammers who can test and refine their tactics with little risk of consequences.