Proxies are used by fraudsters to manipulate site traffic, evade fraud detection, and spoof their locations. With the right detection tools in place, you can identify these suspicious connections and take action.
One of the proxy detection reasons why fraudsters use proxies is because they provide anonymity. Proxies also allow users to bypass geolocation restrictions, allowing them to access content they would otherwise be blocked from seeing or to evade location-based fraud rules in PPC campaigns. And last but not least, they can also hide their real IP address – which is a big problem for sites relying on risk scoring and identity verification.
The most common proxy detection methods involve examining several critical attributes of an internet connection, including the real IP address and the IP presented by the proxy. They also include checking for OS fingerprinting (comparing the operating system advertised in the User-Agent with the operating systems found in packet headers) and looking for anomalies that indicate a proxy is being used.
What Is Proxy Detection and Why It Matters for Online Security
Another important aspect of proxy detection is identifying IP ranges that are associated with data centers, hosting providers, and server proxies. Additionally, residential proxies can be detected through a variety of techniques.
By using multiple proxy detection methods in tandem, you can ensure that your website is being visited by real people. This can help reduce fraud and maintain compliance while enabling you to deliver an optimal customer experience. If you’re interested in reducing fraud and delivering the best customer experiences, schedule a free identity verification demo today!

