Why a VPN is not suspicious by itself
Public research documents VPN use in countries with censorship or access restrictions, but it also shows meaningful use in Europe, North America, and business contexts. A privacy tool can be normal behavior. The fact that a user routes through an EU or U.S. server does not reveal their intent.
Four safeguards for advertisers
- Do not block on one signal. Require corroborating behavior or policy-relevant context.
- Separate evidence from enforcement. A report can flag a session for review without changing the visitor experience.
- Minimize the data. Keep only what is needed for the stated investigation and retention policy.
- Measure false positives. Sample flagged sessions and check legitimate conversion, support, and refund outcomes.
Build a fair review policy
Define what the business considers a review candidate: for example, a VPN/proxy signal plus repeated paid clicks and no qualified action. Define what it does not consider enough: a traveler, a corporate VPN, a residential privacy tool, or a location difference alone. Write the policy before a large campaign spike so the rules are not improvised around one alarming dashboard.
BotRefund’s approach is evidence-first: network classification, behavioral evidence, and geo context remain distinct fields. Read the capability overview or see the detection checklist.