Click Forensics, the firm that tracks click fraud using campaign data from over 3,500 marketers, reports that Pay Per Click fraud is on the rise again, increasing to 14.8 percent in the first quarter of 2007.

That's the highest level in the last twelve months and 1.1 percent up on the same period last year. The fourth quarter of 2006 click fraud rate was 14.2 percent.

Click Forensics president and CEO Tom Cuthbert commented, "Click fraud seems to be following a similar path as other online fraud schemes such as spam and phishing -- the problem is growing as fraudsters fine-tune their methods.

Although they tend to play down the size of the problem, Yahoo and Google have previously made it known that they are trying to solve the click fraud problem. In fact, Yahoo recently appointed a “click fraud tzar.”

The continuing rise in click fraud means that anyone using PPC advertising needs a system for the detection of such fraud. There are many on the market, including Zunch’s own Click Fraud Detective, which we naturally feel is a superior product.

Regardless of whose product you use, choose one and start using it. Don’t let your ad dollars go to waste.