Google AdSense Accounts Closed if Fraudulent Ad Clicks are Suspected 
As
 print media experiences a drop in readership and advertising,  
web-based pay per click (PPC) advertising opportunities through Google's
  AdWords and AdSense programs are steadily on the rise. But these  internet advertising programs
 are not without flaws; ad click fraud is a  serious problem that's 
prompted Google to take a zero-tolerance stance  as the web giant tries 
to maintain the integrity of its AdSense and  AdWords internet 
advertising programs.
 
What is Click Fraud?
Click
 fraud is the act of clicking advertisements on the internet  with the 
intention of earning money or draining a competitor's  advertising 
account. Fraudulent ad clicks are extremely problematic, as  it 
undermines the integrity of the Google AdWords
 program and other  similar internet-based PPC advertising programs that
 involve clicking on  an ad containing a link that, in turn, directs the
 clicker to the  advertiser's web page.
 
Websites and Bloggers Committing Click Fraud
A large portion of fraudulent clicks come as a dishonest attempt to  earn money via Google's AdSense program.
 The AdSense program enables  websites and blogs to display contextual 
advertisements and with each ad  that's clicked, the website or blogger 
earns a portion of the money  that the advertiser agreed to pay per 
click.
 What many fraudulent clickers don't realize is that Google tracks  each and every click with IP address
 logging, among other methods. Red  flags arise when abnormal ad 
clicking patterns emerge over a period of  weeks or months, be it a 
suspicious pattern of ad clicks from a  particular IP address or an 
unusually high number of clicks on the  advertisements displayed on a 
web page.
 When click fraud is suspected, the staff at Google 
investigate the  invalid clicks. When a situation involving fraudulent 
clicks is  confirmed, Google typically hands out a lifetime ban from the
 AdSense  program.
Advertisers and Fraudulent Clicks
 Another form of click fraud involves advertisers who use ad clicks as  part of malicious and unethical business practices.
 Advertisers
 have been known to engage in click fraud by clicking a  competitor's 
web ads in an effort to expend the competitor's pre-set  daily spending 
limit for advertisements. With the Google AdWords  program,
 advertisers pay each time an ad is clicked. An advertiser's ads  will 
"shut off" for the day once the pre-set daily spending limit is  
reached, so by committing click fraud, dishonest advertisers attempt to 
 eliminate the competitor's internet ads.
 
Other Forms of Click Fraud on the Web
Another form of click fraud involves a "click exchange."
 A click  exchange involves two or more individuals who, in an attempt 
to  "outsmart" Google, agree to click ads on each others' website or 
blog.
 Dishonest individuals who take part in click exchanges 
mistakenly  believe that they cannot be held responsible for clicks that
 originate  from another person's IP address. In reality, Google is wise
 to the  click exchange, so 
any suspicious pattern of ad clicks
 — even  those that originate from another person's IP address — that's 
 consistent with click fraud serves as sufficient grounds for a lifetime
  ban from Google's AdSense program.
 Promoting invalid clicks by 
instructing blog or website visitors to  click on ads is another form of
 click fraud. Promotion of fraudulent ad  clicks is considered a serious
 offense that's grounds for termination of  a website's or blog's 
affiliation with AdSense.
 
Can You Appeal an AdSense Account Closure Due to  Click Fraud?
For
 many years, there was no appeal process for individuals whose  AdSense 
accounts were closed due to alleged click fraud involvement. But  
ultimately, Google decided to implement a 
click  fraud appeals process,
 though it's believed that a very small  percentage of accounts are ever
 reinstated following cancellation due to  suspected click fraud.