Cookie Stuffing
Cookie stuffing is an affiliate fraud technique that drops tracking cookies onto users' browsers without a genuine click or referral, so the fraudster is credited for sales they did not actually influence.
The fraudster loads affiliate cookies silently — via hidden iframes, image tags, or scripts — as a user browses, so that any later purchase within the cookie window is misattributed to them even though the user never engaged with a real referral.
It steals credit from legitimate partners and inflates payouts. Defenses include server-to-server tracking, anomaly detection on click-to-conversion patterns, and terms that allow clawing back commissions tied to fraudulent activity.
See also
- Affiliate Fraud (Click Fraud)
Affiliate fraud is any attempt to earn commissions illegitimately, such as fake clicks, forced cookies, self-referrals, or fabricated conversions.
- Self-Referral Fraud
Self-referral fraud occurs when an affiliate uses their own referral link or code to buy — or has friends do so — to collect a commission on their own purchase, a violation most programs explicitly prohibit and claw back.
- Cookie Window
A cookie window (or cookie duration) is the length of time after a referral click during which a resulting conversion will still be credited to that affiliate.
- Attribution
Attribution is the process of determining which affiliate or marketing touchpoint should receive credit — and the commission — for a conversion.
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