As the "Pokémon Go" craze continues in many locations around the world, so does the cheating. People have been spoofing their GPS location to get more Pokémon without having to leave their seats but there is a consequence once caught.
The app heavily relies on the player's location. In order to catch more Pokémon, a player would have to go physically to another location. However, according to Independent UK, cheaters have found a way to trick their phone into thinking that they are in a different location; hence they can catch more Pokémon without leaving their actual location.
The common trick is to spoof the GPS location. The phone then thinks that the player is somewhere else. For example, cheaters have tricked their phones to "thinking" that they are in New York, where there is a big concentration or various Pokémon.
This did not go unnoticed by developer Niantic. Those found cheating end up having their accounts "soft banned." This means that the player can still open the app and find Pokémon. Unfortunately, banned players will not be able to catch them with the Pokéball.
Moreover, banned players are cannot claim gyms or retrieve items. Basically, they cannot do anything important in the game while they are restricted.
Luckily, for now, the ban is lifted after a certain amount of time. The restriction will least likely keep users from cheating again. Therefore, Niantic could impose harsher consequences in the future for those caught cheating. They could add more restrictions to discourage cheaters.
On the other hand, a Pokémon User was reportedly found guilty of a different kind of cheating and this user got more than just being banned from the game. According to New York Post, the GPS feature of Pokémon Go helped the girlfriend of Evan Scribner find out that he was cheating on her.
As to how he got caught, here is what Scribner said, "She saw that I had caught a Pokémon while at my ex's house."
As a consequence, Scribner is banned from his girlfriend's life and it looks like the restriction will be for life not a couple of hours. The man admits that his lady has not contacted him since the moment she found out about his extra "scavenging" hunt.
Eventually, Niantic might impose restrictions as harsh as Scribner's if the cheating does not stop on "Pokémon Go."