False Fronts
How Scam Ads Hijack the Digital MarketplaceBy Samuel Carter
Length3h 24m
About this audiobook
Billions of ads run online every day. Hidden among them are scams that impersonate real companies, charities, and even governments. These fraudulent ads steal money, damage reputations, and erode trust in the digital marketplace.
In False Fronts: How Scam Ads Hijack the Digital Marketplace, investigative author Samuel Carter reveals how scam ads thrive on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, exploiting weaknesses in ad auctions, targeting systems, and oversight. Through real-world cases, global statistics, and independent watchdog reports, Carter exposes how fraud has become industrialized, from scam-as-a-service kits to deepfake celebrity endorsements.
Audiobook details
GenreSelf-Help
Length3 hrs 24 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 3, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction – The Digital Marketplace Mirage 10
2The Age of the Ad Auction 11
3When Fraud Wears a Suit 12
4Independent Warnings vs. Corporate Reassurances 13
5The Human Cost 14
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6Why This Book 14
7The Road Ahead 15
8Chapter 1 – The Mask of Legitimacy 16
9The Evolution of Digital Impersonation 17
10The Science of Mimicry 17
11Case Study: The Fake Investment Boom 18
12Why Legitimate Ads Make the Scam Possible 19
13Charities Exploited by Legitimacy 20
14The Problem of Pre-Screening 21
15Why People Keep Falling for It 21
16The Mask and the Mirror 22
17Conclusion: The Price of Trust 22
18Chapter 2 – Social Media’s Blind Spot 23
19The Scale Hidden Behind the Feed 23
20Precision Targeting, Precision Exploitation 24
21Case Study: The Fake Shopping Epidemic 25
22Why Detection Fails 25
23Charity Scams in Times of Crisis 26
24Deepfakes on Social Media 26
25The Vulnerability of Trust in the Feed 27
26Regulatory Blind Spots 27
27The Financial Incentive 28
28The Human Toll 29
29Conclusion: The Blind Spot That Persists 29
30Chapter 3 – The YouTube Trap 30
31The Allure of Moving Pictures 30
32The Malwarebytes Case 31
33The Deepfake Explosion 31
34Monetization Meets Manipulation 32
35Case Study: The Fake Software Download 32
36Children and Teens as Targets 33
37Why Detection Fails on YouTube 33
38The Psychology of Video Trust 34
39Regulatory Silence 35
40The Victim’s Experience 35
41The Double Betrayal 36
42Conclusion: The Trap We Cannot Ignore 36
43Chapter 4 – Global Losses in Click Fraud 37
44What Is Click Fraud? 37
45The Spider AF Report 38
46The Invisible Tax on Businesses 38
47The Scammer’s Toolset 39
48Case Study: Fake News Sites as Ad Funnels 39
49Regional Hotspots of Fraud 40
50Why Platforms Struggle 40
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