Stop promo abuse before it drains your budget
{ "email": "user+promo2@gmail.com", "deliverability": "DELIVERABLE", "quality_score": 0.15, "is_free_email": true, "is_disposable_email": false, "is_subaddress": true, "is_role_email": false, "is_smtp_valid": true }
The signals that catch promo abuse
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How promo abuse works
Why teams stop promo abuse
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Frequently asked questions
What is promo abuse?
Promo abuse is when one person claims a signup, coupon, or referral incentive many times by creating fresh identities (new emails, phone numbers, and IPs) instead of using it once. It quietly drains marketing budget and skews campaign metrics, because the new customers are really the same person collecting the reward again.
What is coupon fraud?
Coupon fraud is repeatedly redeeming a discount meant to be used once, often by stacking codes or spinning up throwaway accounts. A common trick is plus-addressing, where user+1@gmail.com and user+2@gmail.com reach the same inbox but look like different customers at checkout.
What is referral fraud and how do you detect it?
Referral fraud is when someone refers themselves with fake accounts to farm referral bonuses. You detect it by checking whether the referred signups share signals with the referrer: disposable or plus-addressed emails, VOIP phone numbers, and the same IP or device on both sides of the referral.
How do users abuse promo codes with fake accounts?
They register a new account for each redemption using disposable or free email addresses, plus-addressing, burner VOIP numbers, and VPN or proxy IPs so each claim looks like a distinct user. Validating each identity at signup exposes the reuse before the incentive is granted.
Can you stop promo abuse without adding signup friction?
Yes. Score the identity behind each claim in the background instead of adding steps for everyone. Flag disposable emails, plus-addressing, VOIP numbers, and repeat IPs, then challenge only the high-risk claims. Real customers redeem normally while abusers are blocked or asked to verify. Dedupe signals cut abuse sharply, though they cannot stop genuine people colluding.
What signals catch promo abuse?
The strongest signals are a disposable or free email, plus-addressing on the address, a VOIP or invalid phone number, and a VPN, proxy, or repeated IP behind many claims. Combined into a risk score, they flag the duplicate-identity pattern that promo, coupon, and referral fraud all share.
How does Abstract help stop promo abuse?
Call Abstract's Email Validation, Phone Validation, and IP Intelligence APIs when a user claims an incentive. You get disposable and plus-addressing flags, VOIP detection, and VPN/proxy checks as clear true or false fields, so you can block repeat claimers before the reward is granted. Start on the free tier, no credit card.
