This article will cover the following:
What Is a Scrub Rate?
A scrub rate is the percentage of conversions or leads that are rejected or reversed after being reviewed. It measures how much of your accepted traffic is ultimately found to be invalid, non-compliant, or low quality.
The formula: Scrub Rate = Scrubbed Conversions ÷ Total Conversions × 100
| Scrub Rate | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–5% | Normal — expected level of fraud screening and compliance rejections. |
| 5–10% | Slightly elevated — worth monitoring but may be within acceptable range depending on offer type. |
| 10–15% | Elevated — investigate the traffic source or offer quality rules before continuing. |
| >15% | High — pause the affiliate or offer and investigate before running additional traffic. |
What Triggers a Scrub
- The conversion matched a suppressed email address, phone number, or IP address.
- The conversion was manually reversed by a network manager or advertiser.
- The conversion failed a compliance rule set up in your offer settings.
- The advertiser exercised a contractual right to reverse a percentage of conversions (sometimes called an "advertiser scrub").
- Fraud detection flagged the conversion automatically.
Note:
Not all scrubs are the same. A suppression-match scrub is within your control (clean your traffic source). An advertiser scrub may be contractual and not related to traffic quality at all. Always ask for the specific scrub reason before taking action.
Not all scrubs are the same. A suppression-match scrub is within your control (clean your traffic source). An advertiser scrub may be contractual and not related to traffic quality at all. Always ask for the specific scrub reason before taking action.
Viewing Scrub Rates in CAKE
1
Go to Reports and open the Conversion Report.
2
Click on column settings and enable the Scrub Rate column if it's not already visible.
3
Set your date range to the period you want to analyze.
4
Group by Affiliate to see scrub rates per publisher — this is the fastest way to identify a traffic quality problem.
5
Export to CSV if you need to share the analysis with an advertiser or account manager.
Tip:
Set a weekly schedule on the Conversion Report filtered to high-volume affiliates and with the Scrub Rate column enabled. This creates an automatic early-warning system without any manual work.
Set a weekly schedule on the Conversion Report filtered to high-volume affiliates and with the Scrub Rate column enabled. This creates an automatic early-warning system without any manual work.
Handling Scrub Rate Disputes
Disputes over scrub rates are one of the most common sources of friction between networks and affiliates. Here's how to handle them:
| Dispute Scenario | Recommended Approach |
|---|---|
| Affiliate claims their conversions are being incorrectly scrubbed | Pull the suppression log for the affected time period. Share the specific suppression criteria that matched. Provide the conversion IDs that were scrubbed. |
| Advertiser is applying an unusually high scrub rate | Review your contract terms. Ask for the specific rejection criteria in writing. Escalate to account management if the rate exceeds the contracted maximum. |
| Scrub rate suddenly spiked for a previously clean affiliate | Check if suppression list criteria changed recently. Review the affiliate's traffic sources for any changes during the spike period. |
Key Compliance Regulations
| Regulation | Who It Applies To | Core Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| CAN-SPAM (US) | Anyone sending commercial email to US recipients | Honor opt-out requests within 10 days; include a physical postal address; don't use deceptive subject lines. |
| TCPA (US) | Anyone calling or texting US consumers | Get prior express written consent for marketing calls/texts; honor the National DNC Registry. |
| GDPR (EU/EEA) | Anyone marketing to EU/EEA residents | Obtain valid consent; honor right-to-erasure; limit data processing to declared purposes. |
| CASL (Canada) | Anyone sending commercial electronic messages to Canadian recipients | Obtain express or implied consent; include an unsubscribe mechanism; honor opt-outs within 10 days. |
Caution:
This table is a general summary only and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for guidance specific to your business and jurisdiction.
This table is a general summary only and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for guidance specific to your business and jurisdiction.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your dedicated CAKE Client Success Manager/Account Manager or contact the CAKE Support Team at support@getCAKE.com.