In the ongoing battle against digital ad fraud, the European advertising industry has scored a major win—saving €3.45 billion in 2023—but a new report reveals there’s still over €1 billion being left on the table due to unprotected ad spend.
The 2025 European Ad Fraud Savings Report, released by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), highlights both the progress made and the persistent blind spots in the fight against Invalid Traffic (IVT), which siphons billions in wasted ad spend each year.
69% Fraud Reduction—Thanks to Industry Standards
According to TAG’s findings, without the current anti-fraud protocols in place—including its Certified Against Fraud standards—the European digital ad ecosystem would have lost nearly €5 billion to IVT in 2023. Instead, thanks to the industry’s collective efforts, losses were contained to €1.558 billion, a 69% reduction.
“European advertisers are currently leaving more than €1 billion on the table,” said Jules Kendrick, TAG’s Chief Growth Officer. “That’s a self-inflicted wound—completely preventable if companies fully adopt existing anti-fraud protections.”
Where It’s Working—and Where It’s Not
- 76% of European ad spend went through TAG-protected channels in 2023. The fraud rate in these channels was held to just 1%, translating to €368 million in IVT losses.
- 24% of spend, however, flowed through unprotected inventory, where fraud rates remain significantly higher—costing advertisers €1.075 billion annually.
The message: if the remaining quarter of the market adopted TAG-level protections, the entire industry could shrink IVT losses by another billion euros.
The Data Behind the Savings
Developed by Scott Cunningham of Cunningham.Tech Consulting, the report used a combination of:
- Fraud rate benchmarks from MRC-accredited vendors (DoubleVerify, IAS, Moat, and Pixalate),
- Spend distribution estimates from IAB Europe, Statista, and ExchangeWire,
- And media spend data to project both actual and potential IVT losses.
By comparing fraud in protected vs. unprotected channels, the report calculated the €3.45 billion in realized savings and the potential for an additional €1.075 billion if protections were expanded industry-wide.
Why This Matters Now
With CTV, video, and programmatic display continuing to grow, fraudsters are evolving just as quickly as the technology designed to stop them. TAG’s findings show that when safeguards are in place, they work—bringing fraud to sub-1% levels in many cases.
“The European ad industry has made tremendous strides,” said Cunningham. “But we’re not done. Until protections are universal, fraud will remain an unnecessary tax on media investment.”
The Real Cost of Inaction
Failing to enforce anti-fraud standards throughout the supply chain isn’t just a technical oversight—it’s a strategic risk. It erodes trust, undermines performance data, and wastes budget that could be driving actual business results.
For advertisers and platforms still hesitant to adopt TAG’s protocols, the numbers are clear: inaction is costing you—and the industry—real money.
