PPC advertisers
money viewers
   Yahoo Overture   
money viewers
eXactSearch
money viewers
Nbcsearch
money viewers
180solutions

Screenshots - Yahoo Overture Click Fraud by 180solutions, Nbcsearch, and eXact Advertising
The Spyware - Click-Fraud Connection -- and Yahoo's Role Revisited - Ben Edelman

This page gives screenshots showing on-screen displays as traffic flowed from 180solutions through intermediaries and on to Yahoo Overture and a Yahoo advertiser -- all without me clicking on any sponsored link. All testing occurred on December 17, 2005.

This traffic is click fraud because it sends traffic to a PPC tracking link and charges an advertiser a PPC fee, without a user making a cilck on any PPC ad. See also discussion in main article, as well as a packet log and video.

The Targeted Web Site: Nashbar

I began browsing at Nashbar.com, a popular bicycling retailer. The image below shows my initial on-screen display (from start of screen-capture video).

The Initial Popup

I shortly received a popup that, in its title bar, indicated that it came from 180solutions. See screen-capture video at 0:13.

The Final Popup

Within two seconds (video at 0:15), the popup redirected to Sportsmanguide.com, a Nashbar competitor, which completely filled my screen and entirely covered the original Nashbar window. As often occurs when 180 ads include redirects, the 180 branding disappeared.

Resulting Cookies

Reviewing my cookies folder, I notice that Yahoo Overture.com cookies have been created. See next-to-last cookie in the listing, as well as screen-capture video at 0:21.

See also packet log to confirm the precise chain of redirects.