Fraud detection

Fraud detection in an affiliate or partner programme means the tool looks for signs that commissions were earned unfairly. Examples are an affiliate buying through their own link, many sign-ups from one device or address, fake trial accounts or links that drop tracking cookies on people who never clicked. The tool marks these referrals so you can review them before payment. FirstPromoter, Partnerstack, Post Affiliate Pro, Rewardful, Tapfiliate, Tolt and Trackdesk are examples of tools with it.

Every fraudulent commission is real money lost, and it also rewards the wrong partners. The risk grows with the commission you offer and with the number of open partners who can join without approval. You need fraud checks when a programme is public, pays on sign-ups or trials, or has high payouts. A small, invitation-only programme with a few trusted partners may rely on personal review.

No tool catches everything, and false alarms can annoy honest partners. The best setup combines automatic flags with a holding period and a quick manual review.

• Which patterns does it check, such as self-referrals, duplicate addresses and unusual click behaviour?
• Are flagged referrals held back from payment until you decide?
• Can you tune the sensitivity and add your own rules?
• Can you see the reason for each flag, so you can explain a rejection to a partner?