Highest rate of click fraud reported

Click fraud has reached 17.1%, which is the highest since the index was formed three years ago. The crime comes about when bots, programs or even people power is used to click through PPC banners thereby greatly increasing costs incurred by the owner of the site.
This type of fraud is obviously hard to clamp down on and track but apparently the likes of Ask.com have hired fraud prevention specialists to look into the seemingly growing problem. I guess if attention is paid to the IP addresses of these irregular masses of clicks then the specialists may well be able to do something. Competing companies seem to be willing to do anything necessary to hinder their competition. This is a sign of the times and the ugly battleground that today's internet can create.