Shill Bidding Prevention in Decentralized Auctions Using Smart Contracts

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bouaicha, M. A., Destefanis, G., Montanaro, T., Lasla, N., Patrono, L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866911594898784256
author Bouaicha, M. A.
Destefanis, G.
Montanaro, T.
Lasla, N.
Patrono, L.
author_facet Bouaicha, M. A.
Destefanis, G.
Montanaro, T.
Lasla, N.
Patrono, L.
contents In online auctions, fraudulent behaviors such as shill bidding pose significant risks. This paper presents a conceptual framework that applies dynamic, behavior-based penalties to deter auction fraud using blockchain smart contracts. Unlike traditional post-auction detection methods, this approach prevents manipulation in real-time by introducing an economic disincentive system where penalty severity scales with suspicious bidding patterns. The framework employs the proposed Bid Shill Score (BSS) to evaluate nine distinct bidding behaviors, dynamically adjusting the penalty fees to make fraudulent activity financially unaffordable while providing fair competition. The system is implemented within a decentralized English auction on the Ethereum blockchain, demonstrating how smart contracts enforce transparent auction rules without trusted intermediaries. Simulations confirm the effectiveness of the proposed model: the dynamic penalty mechanism reduces the profitability of shill bidding while keeping penalties low for honest bidders. Performance evaluation shows that the system introduces only moderate gas and latency overhead, keeping transaction costs and response times within practical bounds for real-world use. The approach provides a practical method for behaviour-based fraud prevention in decentralised systems where trust cannot be assumed.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_00282
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Shill Bidding Prevention in Decentralized Auctions Using Smart Contracts
Bouaicha, M. A.
Destefanis, G.
Montanaro, T.
Lasla, N.
Patrono, L.
Computer Science and Game Theory
Cryptography and Security
Software Engineering
In online auctions, fraudulent behaviors such as shill bidding pose significant risks. This paper presents a conceptual framework that applies dynamic, behavior-based penalties to deter auction fraud using blockchain smart contracts. Unlike traditional post-auction detection methods, this approach prevents manipulation in real-time by introducing an economic disincentive system where penalty severity scales with suspicious bidding patterns. The framework employs the proposed Bid Shill Score (BSS) to evaluate nine distinct bidding behaviors, dynamically adjusting the penalty fees to make fraudulent activity financially unaffordable while providing fair competition. The system is implemented within a decentralized English auction on the Ethereum blockchain, demonstrating how smart contracts enforce transparent auction rules without trusted intermediaries. Simulations confirm the effectiveness of the proposed model: the dynamic penalty mechanism reduces the profitability of shill bidding while keeping penalties low for honest bidders. Performance evaluation shows that the system introduces only moderate gas and latency overhead, keeping transaction costs and response times within practical bounds for real-world use. The approach provides a practical method for behaviour-based fraud prevention in decentralised systems where trust cannot be assumed.
title Shill Bidding Prevention in Decentralized Auctions Using Smart Contracts
topic Computer Science and Game Theory
Cryptography and Security
Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.00282