"Pokémon Go" players who use bot programs, GPS spoofers, and other kinds of third-party software to cheat in Niantic's legendary game, will now be asking for trouble after the developer decided to introduce stricter punishment for cheaters.
Evidence extracted from "Pokémon Go's" FAQ page shows that players who will be found violating the game's terms of service (TOC) will get their accounts terminated. The violations include "falsifying one's location, using emulators, modified or unofficial software and/or accessing 'Pokémon GO' clients or backends in an unauthorized manner including through the use of third-party software."
This means that Niantic is now tightening its grip on cheaters by giving them punitive penalties. In light of community reports from the Reddit forum, the warning has already taken effect, with several gamers getting their accounts banned.
After termination, the said accounts displayed a message reading, "Your account was permanently terminated for violations of the Pokémon GO Terms of Service." According to Manila Shaker, the permanent termination of accounts was first noticed through Niantic's confirmation, via its new "Submit and Appeal" form in "Pokémon GO's" FAQ section.
Niantic has also stretched its eye view in "Pokémon Go" cheating scene to cover hackers and mobile modders. Reports from second-hand accounts have revealed that "Pokémon Go's" development team has banned and even threatened several parties, including those from the famous Necrobot Github website.
Information emanating from a number of "Pokémon Go" forums suggests that Niantic may roll out bans in waves to make it harder for modders and spoofers determine what the developer is using to detect them. Users who have been negatively impacted by cheating before are now rejoicing with the move.
However, due to the possibility of false positives, there is the likelihood that an innocent "Pokémon Go" player might get banned accidentally. In such a case, they are advised to submit an appeal through "Pokémon Go's" support web page.
Meanwhile, all "Pokémon Go" fans are advised to stay clear of cheat codes that evolve Pokémon, hatching eggs using pets and wheels, stealing gyms from other players, GPS spoofing, and using third-party apps, failure to which, they may get permanently banned from the game.
Watch the clip below to know more about "Pokemon Go" permanent bans: