Fake Leads, Clicks & Attribution
Fraudulent leads, fake clicks, and false attribution were polluting campaign data. Red Lemon Media suspected far more fraud than their internal systems could detect.
Case Study · Agency (Lead Generation)
19% Lower CAC, 181% ROI: Red Lemon Media’s Fight Against Ad Fraud
Opticks helped Red Lemon Media detect fraudulent leads and clicks in real time — saving €8,600/month and delivering an average ROI of 181%.
19% Lower CAC
€8.6K/mo Monthly savings
181% Average ROI
Trusted by 6,000+ businesses · €6M+ in recovered ad spend
The Client
Red Lemon Media: Lead Generation Specialists
Red Lemon Media has 20 years of experience in lead generation and customer acquisition. The company specialises in helping businesses acquire high-quality customers across insurance, financial services, energy, and tourism industries.
With over 100 active landing pages distributing more than 100,000 valid leads to clients, Red Lemon Media receives large volumes of traffic from various sources and affiliate networks — making traffic quality a critical business concern.
20 years of experience in lead generation
100+ active landing pages across multiple verticals
100,000+ valid leads distributed to clients
The Challenge
Internal Detection Was Not Enough to Fight Fraud
Red Lemon Media had an internal manual check system for traffic validity, but the complexity and speed of modern fraudsters meant most ad fraud slipped through undetected — costing time, energy, and financial resources.
Incomplete & Unreliable Data
In-house solutions blocked a portion of fraud but never provided complete or reliable data. Without trustworthy analytics, proving invalid traffic to partners was nearly impossible.
Wasted Resources & Rising Costs
The team was still losing time, energy, and financial resources fighting ad fraud manually. In-house solutions were never as efficient as a specialised, automated detection system.
The Solution
Why Red Lemon Media Chose Opticks
After comparing leading solutions and benchmarking two providers, Red Lemon Media selected Opticks for its reliability, sophistication, and the specific level of detail needed to communicate fraud data to partners.
- 1
Most Reliable Detection
Opticks provided the most reliable detection and prevention systems, with highly sophisticated and personalised insights that went far beyond what internal tools could deliver.
- 2
Granular Detail for Partners
Specific levels of detail — source of threat, segmentation per partner, channel, and campaign — enabled Red Lemon Media to justify flagged leads and ease communication with affiliate partners.
- 3
Real-Time Automatic Protection
Opticks automatically protects traffic in real time. The marketing team consults the dashboard to identify high fraud rates and shares findings directly with partners.
- 4
GDPR Compliance & Support
An accessible and supportive team combined with a strong privacy guarantee (GDPR compliance) made Opticks the clear choice over competitors.
“Opticks was the most reliable and sophisticated option, and could provide the most specific level of detail that we needed to ease communication with our partners.”
Frauke Gewering — Marketing Manager, Red Lemon Media
Want the same visibility for your campaigns?
Get Your Free Traffic AuditThe Results
Measurable Financial Impact
19% CAC reduction Customer acquisition cost
€8,600 Saved per month Fraudulent clicks & conversions
181% Average ROI Return on Opticks investment
26% → 32% ROAS increase Return on ad spend improved
Click fraud rate dropped from 10.3% to 5.1% and conversion fraud rate fell from 6.6% to 1.1%. The biggest impact was financial — thousands saved by detecting invalid leads that were being billed by partners.
Click fraud halved from 10.3% to 5.1% over the monitoring period.
Conversion fraud reduced 83% from 6.6% to just 1.1%.
Better partner communication with detailed fraud reports as justification for flagged leads.
Team freed from manual detection to focus on real business goals and growth.
Deep Dive
Evolution of Key Metrics
% Invalid Clicks (Global)
Click fraud cut in half — from 10.3% to 5.1%
% Invalid Conversions (Global)
Conversion fraud reduced 62% — from 6.6% to 2.5%
CAC is 19% Lower
Customer acquisition cost reduced by 19%
ROAS Increased from 26% to 32%
Return on ad spend improved by 6 percentage points
No credit card required · Setup in 5 minutes
What They Said
A Trusted Partnership
I recommended Opticks and would do it again. Opticks is very professional and sophisticated. We know we can trust them and do not have to worry about the quality of our traffic.
The Impact
Beyond the Numbers
Opticks did more than reduce fraud rates. It transformed how Red Lemon Media operates — replacing manual detection with automated protection and giving the team data they can trust.
Team invests time in real goals instead of manual fraud detection. Resources redirected to growth and performance.
Better communication with partners. Detailed fraud reports serve as justification for not covering invalid leads.
Customers recognise better traffic quality as a selling point, strengthening Red Lemon Media’s market position.
Favourite features: Traffic Analysis & Reports. Data distribution, visits, type of fraud — all accessible for partner communication.
ROAS improved from 26% to 32%. Cleaner traffic means every euro of ad spend works harder toward real conversions.
Beyond Lead Generation
Fraud Affects Every Business Running Paid Traffic
Fake leads, fraudulent clicks, and invalid conversions drain budgets across every industry. Whether you manage affiliate networks, run paid campaigns, or distribute leads — the same patterns exist. What will your traffic audit reveal?
Lead Generation Agencies Insurance Financial Services E-Commerce Travel & Tourism
Audit Your Traffic for FreeFrequently Asked Questions
FAQs
How can lead generation agencies reduce their CAC?
One of the most effective ways to reduce customer acquisition cost is to eliminate fraudulent clicks and fake leads from your campaigns. Red Lemon Media reduced their CAC by 19% — from €20 to €16 — simply by using Opticks to detect and block invalid traffic. When your budget only reaches real prospects, every euro works harder.
How do you increase ROAS on paid media campaigns?
Beyond optimising bids and creatives, a major ROAS lever is cutting wasted spend on invalid traffic. Red Lemon Media increased their ROAS from 26% to 32% after deploying Opticks. By blocking bot clicks, click farms, and fraudulent conversions, the same budget delivered more genuine leads — improving return without increasing spend.
How much ad spend is wasted on fraudulent clicks and fake leads?
Industry estimates suggest up to 20% of ad clicks are fraudulent. In Red Lemon Media’s case, 10.3% of clicks and 6.6% of conversions were invalid before using Opticks. That translated to thousands of euros per month in wasted budget — money that was going to bots and click farms instead of real customers.
How can I detect fake leads in my campaigns?
Without a fraud detection tool, fake leads are nearly invisible — they look like real conversions in your analytics. Opticks analyses every click and session in real time, using behavioural analysis, device fingerprinting, and pattern recognition to flag 30+ types of invalid traffic. Red Lemon Media reduced fraudulent conversions from 6.6% to 2.5% using this approach.
How do you lower cost per lead (CPL) by blocking ad fraud?
Fraudulent clicks consume your budget without generating real leads, inflating your cost per lead. By blocking invalid traffic at the source, Opticks ensures your ad spend only goes toward genuine prospects. Red Lemon Media saves €8,600 per month and achieved an ROI of 181% on their Opticks investment — the savings far exceed the cost of the tool.
What is Opticks and how does it prevent ad fraud?
Opticks is an ad fraud detection and prevention platform by Opticks Security SL, based in Barcelona, Spain. It detects, blocks, and reports over 30 types of invalid traffic across all major advertising channels — including Google Ads, Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads, and programmatic platforms. Trusted by 6,000+ businesses worldwide.
Stop Paying for Leads That Will Never Convert
Red Lemon Media reduced their CAC by 19% and saves €8,600 every month. See how much of your traffic is fraudulent — and recover your wasted spend.
No commitment required · Results visible within days · Trusted by 6,000+ businesses