Ad Fraud Statistics: Q1 2026
Analysis of invalid traffic (IVT) based on a representative sample of 26.3 billion ad impressions collected by Fraudlogix from January through March 2026.
Executive Summary
In Q1 2026, Fraudlogix detected an invalid traffic (IVT) rate of 18.12% across a sample of 26.3 billion ad impressions — meaning roughly 1 in 5 impressions showed signals of fraudulent or non-human activity. This is modestly lower than the full-year 2025 rate of 20.64%, but ad fraud remains a persistent, multi-billion-dollar problem across every device type, channel, and geography.
This quarterly report covers January 1 through March 31, 2026. It is a companion to the Fraudlogix State of Ad Fraud 2026 Annual Report and will be updated each quarter.
Key Q1 2026 Findings
Desktop IVT fell from 27.03% (full-year 2025) to 18.60% in Q1 2026 — an 8-point improvement. Desktop and mobile now show near-identical fraud rates for the first time in our data history.
Ukraine’s IVT rate jumped from 36.40% to 53.35%. Indonesia climbed from 53.12% to 59.17%. Both markets now carry fraud rates exceeding 50% of all impressions.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) traffic showed a 79.24% IVT rate. CDN provider Bunny Communications networks showed rates approaching 100%. Fraudlogix’s IP Blocklist is updated hourly to account for this.
iPhone iOS 18.7 recorded just 7.49% IVT. Android 16 came in at 12.95%. Older Android versions — particularly Android 7 — continue to register fraud rates above 70%.
Q1 2026 vs. Full-Year 2025: What Changed
Comparing Q1 2026 data against the Fraudlogix full-year 2025 annual benchmark reveals a modest overall improvement in global IVT rates, a dramatic drop in desktop fraud, and a concerning rise in fraud activity from conflict-affected geographies and cloud-hosted traffic sources.
Key Metric Comparison
Q1 2026 figures are from a 26.3B impression sample, Jan–Mar 2026. Comparison figures are from the 2026 Annual Report (105.7B impressions, full-year 2025). Quarterly figures may also reflect seasonal patterns.
Ad Fraud by Device Type
In Q1 2026, mobile (18.16%), desktop (18.60%), and tablet (16.17%) show nearly identical IVT rates — a significant shift from 2025 when desktop ran 40% higher than mobile at 27.03%.
| Device Type | IVT Rate (Q1 2026) | IVT Rate (2025 Annual) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | 18.16% | 19.30% | ↓ 1.14 pts |
| Desktop | 18.60% | 27.03% | ↓ 8.43 pts |
| Tablet | 16.17% | 16.34% | ↓ 0.17 pts |
For full-year 2025, desktop IVT ran 40% higher than mobile. In Q1 2026 the gap has nearly closed — within half a percentage point.
Ad Fraud by Browser
Safari remains the cleanest major browser at 15.04% IVT in Q1 2026. Chrome (23.10%) and Edge (21.07%) sit above the global average. Legacy browsers Opera (37.04%) and Internet Explorer (38.89%) remain heavily dominated by automated traffic.
| Browser | IVT Rate (Q1 2026) | IVT Rate (2025 Annual) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Safari | 15.04% | 13.24% | ↑ 1.80 pts |
| OS Vendor Webview | 16.34% | 19.87% | ↓ 3.53 pts |
| Mozilla Firefox | 20.57% | 25.04% | ↓ 4.47 pts |
| Microsoft Edge | 21.07% | 41.23% | ↓ 20.16 pts |
| Google Chrome | 23.10% | 21.75% | ↑ 1.35 pts |
| Yandex Browser | 36.42% | 27.89% | ↑ 8.53 pts |
| Opera | 37.04% | 26.18% | ↑ 10.86 pts |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | 38.89% | 79.50% | ↓ 40.61 pts |
Safari’s closed ecosystem makes it far less attractive for automated traffic deployment.
Opera up to 37.04% and Yandex up to 36.42% vs 2025 annual benchmark.
Ad Fraud by Country & Region
Western Europe leads globally with France (1.19%), Netherlands (1.02%), and Germany (1.99%) all below 2%. Indonesia (59.17%) and Ukraine (53.35%) top the high-risk list among markets in this sample.
Highest IVT Countries — Q1 2026
| Country | IVT Rate (Q1 2026) | IVT Rate (2025 Annual) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia (ID) | 59.17% | 53.12% | ↑ Worsening |
| Ukraine (UA) | 53.35% | 36.40% | ↑ Sharp rise |
| Australia (AU) | 32.55% | 38.81% | ↓ Improving |
| South Korea (KR) | 23.47% | 34.91% | ↓ Significant improvement |
| Mexico (MX) | 22.81% | 17.96% | ↑ Rising |
| Brazil (BR) | 22.33% | 10.00% | ↑ More than doubled |
| United States (US) | 20.37% | 23.69% | ↓ Improving |
| UAE (AE) | 20.10% | 20.28% | ↓ Stable |
| Poland (PL) | 19.44% | 30.22% | ↓ Improving |
| Spain (ES) | 16.53% | 21.19% | ↓ Improving |
Brazil jumped from 10.00% to 22.33% — one of the sharpest single-market increases in this sample.
Lowest IVT Countries — Q1 2026
| Country | IVT Rate (Q1 2026) |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (NL) | 1.02% |
| France (FR) | 1.19% |
| Italy (IT) | 1.43% |
| Germany (DE) | 1.99% |
| Austria (AT) | 3.24% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 3.25% |
| Japan (JP) | 4.38% |
| Sweden (SE) | 7.30% |
| Denmark (DK) | 7.68% |
| Canada (CA) | 9.77% |
Eight of the ten lowest-fraud markets are in Western Europe. The Netherlands leads at just 1.02% IVT.
United States — Detailed View
The US is the largest market in this sample at 38.5% of impressions. Its 20.37% IVT rate is an improvement from 23.69% in 2025, but still means more than $1 in every $5 of US programmatic spend is associated with invalid traffic.
Infrastructure & ISP Analysis
Network infrastructure is one of the most reliable signals for identifying invalid traffic. In Q1 2026, cloud hosting and CDN providers show dramatically higher fraud rates than residential ISPs. Amazon Web Services traffic registered 79.24% IVT. CDN providers Bunny Communications and Nubes LLC showed rates approaching 100%.
Fraudlogix monitors ad impression traffic — users visiting websites where advertisements are being served. A real person browsing a website connects through a residential ISP, not an Amazon cloud server. Ad impressions originating from AWS IP ranges are almost certainly automated — bot farms and fraud operations renting cloud compute to simulate human browsing at scale.
Highest-Risk Network Providers
Rates reflect impressions from each network within Fraudlogix’s ad impression monitoring — not general internet traffic.
| Network / ISP | IVT Rate | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Bunny Communications Global | 99.90% | CDN / Hosting |
| Nubes LLC | 99.63% | Cloud Hosting |
| Bunny Communications | 98.83% | CDN / Hosting |
| Zscaler | 94.16% | Security Proxy / VPN |
| Amazon.com (AWS) | 79.24% | Cloud Infrastructure |
| SK Broadband | 33.32% | Korean ISP |
| izzi | 27.73% | Mexican ISP |
| Kyivstar | 27.12% | Ukrainian Carrier |
Amazon Web Services showed 79.24% IVT in Q1 2026. Legitimate end-users don’t browse from AWS servers. This traffic is almost entirely automated. Fraudlogix’s Pre-Bid IP Blocklist includes cloud infrastructure IP ranges, updated hourly.
Cleanest Residential ISPs
| ISP | IVT Rate |
|---|---|
| Free SAS (France) | 0.10% |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | 0.10% |
| Sky Broadband (UK) | 0.12% |
| O2 Deutschland | 0.14% |
| Vodafone UK | 0.16% |
| Deutsche Telekom AG | 0.38% |
| BT (UK) | 0.44% |
| Comcast Cable | 3.31% |
| Spectrum | 4.56% |
Ad Fraud by Operating System
iOS 18.7 shows just 7.49% IVT — the lowest of any major OS in our sample. Android 7.x records fraud rates above 70%. The pattern is consistent: older OS, higher fraud.
Android Version Analysis
| Android Version | IVT Rate | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Android 16 (latest) | 12.95% | Low |
| Android 15 | 19.84% | Moderate |
| Android 11 | 22.66% | Moderate |
| Android 13 | 22.70% | Moderate |
| Android 10 | 21.40% | Moderate |
| Android 12 | 25.56% | High |
| Android 14 | 35.15% | High |
| Android 8.0.0 | 44.28% | Very High |
| Android 7.0 | 71.42% | Extreme |
| Android 7.1.1 | 77.29% | Extreme |
Android 14 shows 35.15% IVT — significantly higher than Android 13 (22.70%) and Android 15 (19.84%). This non-linear pattern suggests device farms may be disproportionately running Android 14.
Windows Version Analysis
| Windows Version | IVT Rate |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 (build 19.0.0) | 15.20% |
| Windows 10 (NT 10.0) | 21.37% |
| Windows 11 (build 15.0.0) | 32.70% |
| Windows 8 (NT 6.2) | 38.03% |
Methodology
The 26.3 billion impressions analyzed in this report represent a representative sample drawn from Fraudlogix’s global sensor network for Q1 2026. This sample was compiled specifically for this analysis and does not reflect the full volume of traffic observed during January–March 2026. Fraudlogix’s sensor network monitors over 1 billion unique devices per month — approximately one quarter of the world’s internet population — providing a dataset far larger than what is presented here.
Fraudlogix classifies traffic into Valid Traffic (legitimate human traffic, no risk signals) and Invalid Traffic (IVT) (proxy/VPN, Tor nodes, botnet signatures, device spoofing, behavioral anomalies, known fraud IPs).
For full methodology see the Fraudlogix State of Ad Fraud 2026 Annual Report.
Ad Fraud Prevention Recommendations
Based on Q1 2026 data, the highest-impact actions for reducing IVT exposure are: blocking known cloud infrastructure IP ranges, applying geographic risk tiers, filtering legacy OS and browser traffic, and implementing pre-bid blocklists updated in real time.
For Advertisers & Media Buyers
Block cloud-sourced traffic. Fraudlogix’s Pre-Bid IP Blocklist is updated hourly with 30M+ fraud-associated IPs including cloud infrastructure ranges.
Apply geographic risk tiers. Indonesia (59%), Ukraine (53%), and Brazil (22%) warrant elevated scrutiny. European inventory (France 1.19%, Germany 1.99%, UK 3.25%) offers the cleanest traffic globally.
Prioritize iOS and latest Android. iOS 18.7 (7.49%) and Android 16 (12.95%) offer significantly cleaner traffic. Use Fraudlogix’s IP Risk Score to assess device-level risk in real time.
For Publishers & SSPs
Monitor the Android 14 anomaly. Android 14’s 35.15% fraud rate is worth investigating in your own traffic.
Flag Opera and Yandex browser traffic. Both saw significant IVT increases in Q1 2026 (Opera 37%, Yandex 36%). Spikes in these segments warrant investigation.
About Fraudlogix
Fraudlogix has been fighting digital ad fraud since 2010. For 16 years, we’ve helped platforms distinguish human from bot traffic in real time across advertising, affiliate marketing, e-commerce, cybersecurity, banking, fintech, and gaming. We are fully independent from the programmatic supply chain, with no buy-side or sell-side conflicts of interest.
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