Fake Signup Detection

Why Fake Signups Are Dangerous

Fake signups damage campaigns by:

• increasing bounce rates
• lowering engagement metrics
• harming sender reputation
• triggering domain or IP throttling
• creating warm-up instability
• elevating spam complaints
• introducing compliance risks

Even a small percentage of fake signups can cause disproportionate damage to deliverability.

Common Types of Fake Signups

1. Bot Signups. Automated scripts filling forms for testing, scraping, or malicious purposes.

2. Disposable & Temporary Emails. One-time-use addresses designed to avoid engagement.

3. Spam Traps. Addresses created specifically to catch negligent senders.

4. Recycled or Abandoned Addresses. Old addresses that look valid but are inactive or reassigned.

5. Malicious Signups. Users attempting to trigger spam complaints, degrade reputation, or bypass opt-in mechanisms.

Behavioral & Engagement Indicators

Fake signups often exhibit:

• no opens or clicks after signup
• immediate inactivity
• multiple signups from same IP or domain
• unrealistic behavior patterns (e.g., rapid navigation, form completion anomalies)
• high deletion or non-engagement signals

Behavioral analytics are essential to detect fakes before sending.

Source & Acquisition Risk Signals

Fake signups correlate with weak acquisition channels:

• unverified third-party lists
• weak or invisible opt-in forms
• scraped or harvested addresses
• automated bot submissions
• poor partner feeds

Evaluating source integrity helps prevent fake signups at the point of acquisition.

Trap & Toxic Email Risk

Fake signups increase the risk of:

• Spam Traps: Triggering a trap can damage domain reputation instantly.
• Toxic Profiles: Low-quality or malicious addresses reduce engagement and lower deliverability.
• Domain/IP Throttling: Multiple risky signups from a single domain or IP can create throttling or blocking events.

Even a small number of fakes can have cascading negative effects.

How Impressionwise Detects Fake Signups

Impressionwise prevents fake signups using a multi-layer predictive framework:

1. Behavioral Analytics

• detects anomalies in signup patterns
• flags bots and rapid form completions
• monitors inactivity risk

2. Trap & Risk Screening

• identifies spam traps, recycled addresses, and toxic domains
• suppresses risky signups before campaign entry

3. Source Verification

• analyzes acquisition channels for quality and risk
• blocks weak or high-risk sources

4. Predictive Risk Scoring

• assigns risk scores based on behavioral and source factors
• prevents high-risk emails from entering active lists

This proactive approach protects inbox placement, engagement, and sender reputation.

Preventing Fake Signups With Best Practices

✔ DO:

• implement bot-detection mechanisms on signup forms
• use CAPTCHA or invisible validation
• verify sources before accepting signups
• suppress high-risk or suspicious addresses automatically
• monitor engagement patterns closely
• segment new signups for risk observation

✘ DON’T:

• assume verification alone catches fakes
• rely on third-party lists without quality checks
• ignore inactivity or behavioral anomalies
• allow bulk or rapid signups without monitoring
• send to all new signups immediately without risk screening

Final Recommendations

Fake signups are a silent destroyer of deliverability and engagement. By understanding their anatomy and using predictive, behavioral, and source-level detection tools, you can:

• protect your sender reputation
• maintain high inbox placement
• prevent traps and toxic addresses
• improve engagement and revenue

Impressionwise identifies and blocks fake signups before they affect your campaigns—ensuring safe, high-performing email programs.