After processing over a million conversions across MENA markets, we've developed a traffic quality system that reduced our fraud rates by 40% in six months. Here's what we learned and what actually works.
The problem with off-the-shelf fraud solutions
Most anti-fraud vendors sell a black box. You send them your traffic data, they give you a score, and you're supposed to trust it. The problem is that fraud patterns in mVAS are different from fraud in e-commerce or app installs, and generic solutions miss the nuances.
Building our own system
We started by analyzing every conversion that was later flagged by carriers or advertisers. The patterns were clear: certain device fingerprints, conversion timing patterns, and user behavior signals were reliable indicators of low-quality traffic.
We built a scoring system that weights these signals differently for each market and carrier. What looks suspicious in UAE might be perfectly normal in Egypt, and our system accounts for that.
What actually moves the needle
Three things made the biggest impact: real-time conversion timing analysis, device fingerprint clustering, and post-conversion behavior monitoring. Together, these catch the majority of fraudulent conversions before they cost advertisers money.
Results
Since implementing this system, our overall fraud rate dropped by 40%. More importantly, our advertiser retention improved because they're getting better quality traffic. Better quality means better payouts for publishers, which attracts better traffic sources. It's a virtuous cycle.