PropellerAds 2025 Ads Safety Report

PropellerAds, a global leading performance advertising platform, recently released the 2025 Ads Safety Report, providing a comprehensive analysis of ad fraud trends, platform protection measures, and advertiser compliance guidance.

The report highlights that as fraud techniques become increasingly sophisticated, the company’s multi-layered security systems play a critical role in safeguarding advertisers, traffic suppliers, and end users.

Evolving Ad Fraud Techniques and High-Risk Regions

In 2025, ad fraud evolved significantly, moving beyond simple tactics to more complex, infrastructure-heavy schemes. Fraudsters leveraged cloaking, malware distribution chains, and social engineering attacks targeting messenger accounts, often across multiple ad formats. PropellerAds strengthened early-stage moderation and infrastructure-level detection to intercept high-risk activities before campaigns went live.

During the year, the platform executed 729,794 campaign rejections, primarily due to content compliance and user safety concerns, with adult content and malware signals accounting for the largest shares. These measures ensured campaigns were stopped before delivery, protecting advertisers, publishers, and end users while maintaining a stable and predictable ad environment. Compared to 2024, campaign rejections increased by 35%, reflecting expanded moderation coverage and stronger preventive controls.

High-value markets, including Turkey and Spanish-speaking regions, experienced elevated fraudulent activity. About 80% of detected attacks targeted Windows and Android users. Fraud patterns often combined technical, behavioral, and content signals, highlighting the importance of continuous monitoring and in-depth infrastructure analysis.

High-Risk Accounts and Protection Strategies

Cloaking remained the main high-risk violation, accounting for over 80% of confirmed account suspensions. This practice involves showing different content to moderation systems and end users, concealing the true nature of campaigns. Ransomware, failed identity verification, and scam setups also contributed to account suspensions, though to a lesser extent. Infrastructure-heavy fraud requires multi-layer enforcement and long-term monitoring to ensure platform security.

In 2025, fraud schemes became increasingly sophisticated. Cloaking techniques involved multi-layer traffic routing, conditional content delivery, and distributed infrastructure. Malware distribution evolved beyond simple redirects to direct file downloads or multi-step interactions. Messenger account hijacking incidents increased, including phishing pages, fake login forms, and mobile-first social engineering attacks. Some campaigns even used hijacked or abandoned servers and domains, requiring deep technical and behavioral analysis to detect.

AI and automation played a supportive role in fraud prevention, helping analyze behavioral patterns, detect high-risk signals, and assist expert review. While fraudsters also attempted to use AI to generate fake documents or adapt creative assets, PropellerAds ensures all campaigns are reviewed by experts and infrastructure checks before traffic delivery, preventing high-risk operations from reaching users.

Advertiser Compliance and Risk Management

PropellerAds recommends that advertisers strictly follow platform policies, ensure ad content meets format and regional requirements, understand the complete user journey, and monitor infrastructure and domain reputation. Any use of cloaking or deceptive practices is considered high-risk and usually results in permanent account suspension.

The PropellerAds team emphasizes that fraud prevention is a continuous and evolving process requiring technology, expert analysis, and ecosystem-wide collaboration. The company remains committed to enhancing platform safety, maintaining transparency, and protecting all participants in the advertising ecosystem.