• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 10, 2024

How wonderful it is: The orders are pouring in, and with them new email addresses.

What more can you ask for as Black Friday approaches?

Retailers, beware: Some of these might be bot emails that fuel fraudulent account creation and misuse of coupons, promotional discounts and free trial offers. 

AtData is offering a tool to flag and block those fraudulent efforts: SafeToTrust. It ensures that promotional offers reach genuine consumers, the company says.  

It’s part of the AtData toolbox that provides email validation, identity resolution and profile enrichment.

"In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, the integrity of promotional strategies can make or break a budget,” says Brian Burke, vice president of product for AtData.

“Coupon fraud costs marketers hundreds of millions of dollars annually and much of the losses can be tied to email addresses used for nefarious purposes.” 

What kinds of nefarious purposes?  “There are, unfortunately, people who take advantage of sign-up bonuses, free trials, and other promotions. We are seeing an uptick in the levels of promotional fraud through the use of disposable, fake, rapidly generated, and bot email addresses.”

What can you do about it? “By leveraging advanced technology and activity to identify and eliminate these toxic emails, organizations can fortify marketing strategies, ensuring authentic customer engagement."