Spoofers in Pokémon GO can ruin the fun of the game for others with their actions. A desperate trainer turns to the community on Reddit, showing how dire his situation is.
This is the situation: In the augmented reality game Pokémon GO, cheaters who do not follow the rules are a problem. A recent example from a trainer shows what the situation has been like six years after the release of Pokémon GO.
The player’s Pokémon are kicked out of a gym after just a few minutes, making it very difficult to earn the coveted PokéCoins, which are used as in-game currency. Trainers in the community help and show what can be done about it.
This spoofer has been disrupting for 3 years and has not been banned
What does the spoofer do? On Reddit, trainer Disconcerted-Owl explains, “There’s a guy in my neighborhood who spoofs every gym. No one can put their Pokémon there as defenders for more than a few minutes. It’s like he’s everywhere 24/7. This has been going on for 3 years, please help me. He has 6 accounts in all 3 teams – How can I even report this?”
For instance, one can start Pokémon GO here in Buxtehude, and the game thinks they are in the middle of New York.
Players use this to play in popular locations with many stops or gyms. Or, as in this case, to take over gyms at desired locations around the world and earn PokéCoins.
Using third-party software to teleport in-game to other locations violates the terms of service of Pokémon GO. Those who do this risk losing their entire account.
Since the release of Pokémon GO, players who manipulate their GPS location have been a problem.
The affected player shows screenshots of the alleged spoofer sitting in the gyms in his Reddit post:
This is the problem: In Pokémon GO, players can buy items and upgrades with PokéCoins. The coins are either purchased for real money or earned as a reward for defending gyms. You can earn 50 coins daily by defending Pokémon gyms. You earn one coin every 10 minutes.
Because the spoofer kicks the defenders out of the gyms after just a few minutes, Disconcerted-Owl’s Pokémon can earn coins very poorly at these locations.
The player explains: “He’s not only in my neighborhood but in every neighborhood within a 40-kilometer radius. Every. Single. Gym. For over 3 years. I know he’s spoofing because he kicks my Pokémon out of gyms at the most bizarre distances so quickly. I can’t play the game because of this idiot. Unless I’m 2 hours away from home.”
This is how players react: In the comments, many players explain that they have the same problems and are familiar with these situations. Players are repeatedly kicked out of gyms early. “I don’t think people would complain so much about spoofers if they at least followed the 8-hour rule,” speculates Wilhelt21 on Reddit. Because this is where spoofers can even be important at locations where otherwise no one plays.
For a Pokémon to return from the gym with its coins, it must be kicked out by a player from the other team. If there are hardly any players playing PoGO there, it can take days, weeks, or even months. A player here has no chance of earning coins because of the gym system.
What can be done about it? Other players share how they dealt with the problem in their area. “I had one of those guys in my city too,” writes RealKB81. “I reported him in the game and never saw him again a few weeks later.”
If you want to report a player in Pokémon GO, it’s very easy:
- Open the main menu in the game by clicking on the Pokéball
- Tap on Settings in the top right
- Scroll down to “Get help”
- If you are on iOS, you will see the “Contact us” button in the top right corner – on Android, there’s a speech bubble icon there
- Briefly describe the problem there and then select “Report a player” if the option is displayed.
In the community, spoofers are a controversial topic. They can help in raids or kick Pokémon that have spent their 8 hours in gyms out of gyms. Therefore, these players can even have a use. However, other trainers are completely against it and say: Those who violate the rules should be banned from the game. Regardless of whether they are useful.
MeinMMO author Franzi Korittke explains why spoofers in Pokémon GO aren’t as bad as many say.
What is your stance on spoofers in the game? Let us know in the comments and share your thoughts with other trainers in the community.
