Beta customers named in two click fraud lawsuits Microsoft filed this week maintain their innocence, and both say they assisted the software giant in investigating the source of the problem.

Microsoft said it has uncovered a new kind of click fraud, filing two lawsuits against people it says are using the scam.

Click fraud, a practice that dilutes the efficacy of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns run in search engines like Google, stayed relatively low in the fourth quarter, according to a study.

A new botnet has caused a sharp spike in click fraud because it is skirting the most sophisticated filters of search engines, Web publishers and ad networks, according to Click Forensics.

A new piece of malicious software has been discovered that cheats Google and potentially other search engines out of money.

A new piece of malicious software has been discovered that cheats Google and potentially other search engines out of money.

Microsoft filed a lawsuit on Monday against three people accusing them of running a "massive" click fraud scheme that involved harnessing hundreds of thousands of computer IP (Internet protocol) addresses to target advertisers promoting auto insurance and the World of Warcraft on-line game.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau has published guidelines for determining when fraudsters are taking advantage of pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements.

Companies such as Continental Airlines rely on Internet advertising from Google to deliver customers to their Web site. It constitutes essential marketing in the digital age.