There are different methods of fraudulent click generation. One form of artificial click generation, perhaps the most difficult to identify, comes by way of manually generated clicks induced by CPC competitors within the same keyword niche or by human-driven operations created for the sole purpose of generating affiliate revenue off of the CPC pricing model.
Another method of click fraud is generated
through automated clicking methods, using software applications (hitbots)
specifically designed to click on paid listings. Some using Proxy
Servers. This kind of activity is often initiated by both competitors
and by affiliates, the latter often instituting extensive technology
arrangements to enable their fraudulent click traffic to slip past the internal
filtering methods used by the CPC engines.
