A recent report from IAB MENA puts the scale of digital ad fraud in that region at 20% - that’s $1.25 billion of the $6.25 billion spent in 2023 lost to fraud. If the UK is experiencing similar levels, that could mean over £7 billion of the UK’s £35.5 billion digital ad spend in 2024 is fraudulent.
Take a moment to let that sink in: £7 billion, potentially funding everything from scams to organised crime - even terrorism.
There are detection tools in place, but it’s hard to look at these numbers and conclude that they’re working.
That’s why UKSAFC is championing a Know Your Customer (KYC) standard for the UK adtech industry - the same processes that banks, financial exchanges and even estate agents already use to combat financial crime. KYC allows for better verification of where ad budgets are going - and crucially, the ability to stop payments when something doesn’t check out.
Ad fraud thrives in darkness. KYC helps to bring transparency. Everyone in the value chain must not just say who they are - but prove it. Information needs to be passed up and down the chain to improve tracking of ads – where they are being placed and who is being paid.
Meanwhile, back in MENA, there’s already a real-world model tackling the issue: the UAE has implemented a fraud-proof ad exchange powered by KYC, connecting verified advertisers with verified publishers. As UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, described it, this is "the UAE’s first home-grown, fraud-proof ad exchange."
As an emerging market, the UAE may be charting a different course - one that provides brands with greater confidence that their inventory is reaching real audiences, and that their spend isn't being siphoned into fraud.
Here in the UK, we’re making real progress - working with politicians, civil society organisations, and the wider adtech ecosystem to build support for a KYC-led solution. I’d like to see the UK adtech community follow suit and fully embrace KYC. The scale of lost ad spend should make that decision easier.
The global ad market is competitive. Other nations are acting. If the UK wants to remain a world leader in advertising and adtech, we need to keep ahead of the curve.
The industry has talked for years about tackling ad fraud. KYC isn’t the end point for cleaning up programmatic - but it’s a vital start.
Copyright 2025. Featured post by Ian Moss, UKSAFC spokesperson.