hello . today i had a strange situation, i have turned on my google ads campn and after 10 minutes i saw 15 clicks with the ctr of 300 percent , i thought it was a fake clicks and at that time my spent was 35 usd , so i have paused the campn but after 1.5 hours my google ads dashboard kept updating the clicks and whole balance got exausted slowly slowly even my campn was pause, i spent 120 usd, what was that it was fake clicks or what ? usually google refund the cost of those clicks but i havent got any refund. my google ads search partner and all these are also disable but still this happened, like ctr of 300 how is that possible, i have agecny ads account , is it possible that agency is doing this with me ?
Google ads fake clicks
- Thread starter maxmax06
- Start date
-
- Tags
- googleads adwords
- Nov 12, 2012
- 1,578
- 893
Ghost clicks - check your analytics if its 0% engagement and 0-second average duration across the board for the paid visits - ask for refund.
how to get refund please let me know
Jojo Provider
Newbie
- Jul 17, 2026
- 21
- 7
That doesn't sound normal I'd check the traffic report first
osoznannost560
Newbie
- Aug 20, 2024
- 28
- 7
These are not real clicks for sure. You can try to check the traffic source and see if are fake clicks or from unknown demographics ....... Without engagement these clicks are generally uselles or even harmfull .
enco
Junior Member
- Apr 20, 2026
- 106
- 30
Bro, I'll keep it real with you. In some niches, competitors even click-fraud each other, so don't be too surprised by that
- Aug 1, 2021
- 2,096
- 377
allow 24 hours to pass see if they refunded you automatically by adding to your balance if not apply for invalid clicks review be very specific on the dates time keywords etc and explain why you think they are invalid a manual review will take place. you can only apply for a manual review every 45 days from what i can remember so use it wisely
The WP Nerd
Regular Member
- Jun 7, 2026
- 223
- 79
the 300% ctr is just reporting lag tbh, happens all the time when a botnet hits your link. google records the clicks instantly but the impressions take hours to catch up on the dashboard. @maxmax06 don't worry about the agency stealing $120, makes no sense for them to risk an account over pocket change. wait a day or two and check your billing tab under adjustments, google usually clawbacks the obvious bot clicks automatically. if they don't, file the invalid click form but you'll need server logs to prove it to them or they just send a canned response.
That seems strange sometimes Google Ads keeps updating clicks and spend for a while after pausing because of reporting delays, you should check the click details and invalid traffic section first and if there are fake clicks, Google usually reviews and adjusts them later.
- Feb 20, 2026
- 161
- 43
that 300% CTR is just classic reporting lag where a botnet hammers your link instantly while impressions take hours to catch up, so your agency definitely isn't risking an account over chump change. Just chill for 24-48 hours and let Google's automated filter catch the invalid traffic , they usually drop a clawback adjustment straight into your billing tab. If nothing happens after a couple of days, fire off an invalid click appeal, but make sure you have got server logs ready or support will just ghost you with a canned reply
- Feb 14, 2024
- 560
- 143
The balance draining after you hit pause is usually just reporting lag. Clicks and auction data from right before you paused can take a couple of hours to fully show up.
That crazy CTR in the first ten minutes is also usually a tiny sample size or a data sync issue, not necessarily confirmed fraud. Google doesn’t normally issue instant refunds either, since invalid click adjustments tend to show up as billing credits later or in a following billing cycle.
I’d add the Invalid Clicks column to your reports and check the search terms and Change History before assuming the agency did anything shady.
That crazy CTR in the first ten minutes is also usually a tiny sample size or a data sync issue, not necessarily confirmed fraud. Google doesn’t normally issue instant refunds either, since invalid click adjustments tend to show up as billing credits later or in a following billing cycle.
I’d add the Invalid Clicks column to your reports and check the search terms and Change History before assuming the agency did anything shady.
milles
Registered Member
- Jul 1, 2026
- 92
- 55
but I would only allow the report to stabilize before I declare that it is fraudulent. check under change history, nd check whether there is a correction for invalid clicks by google.