Popular CS:GO YouTuber VAC banned day after releasing video about stopping cheaters *UPDATED*
A popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive YouTuber has been VAC banned by Steam only hours after making a video about stopping in-game cheaters. (Update: Foekroka has now been unbanned. More information can be found at the bottom of this article.)
VAC bans (Valve anti-cheat bans) are issued for players who utilize hacks in games with VAC-secured servers such as CS:GO, Call of Duty and DOTA 2. Bans from CS:GO are not uncommon, with Valve issuing a large portion of them in one swooping wave.
The YouTuber in question, ‘Foekroka’ – who has over 53 thousand subscribers, was issued his ban on December 25, shortly after he had released a video with the headline: “Keeping Christmas safe from CHEATERS!”
Both of his Steam accounts – Foekroka and FoekrokaOldMain – show the VAC banned message and the YouTuber has since pleaded his innocence on Twitter, after his VAC ban had been discovered.
“Ok so I just realized what it was, I had cheat engine on for NBA 2K19 and didn’t close it,” he tweeted to Steam Support. “So I don’t know what to do about that, or if there is anyway to reverse them. Big yikes.”
ok so I just realized what it was, I had cheat engine on for nba 2k19 and didn't close it. So idk what to do about that, or if there is anyway to reverse them. Big yikes. @Steam_Support
— Foekroka (@Foekroka) December 25, 2018
However, some fans pointed out that Steam does not utilize VAC-secured servers for the NBA 2K titles and his argument may be invalid.
“Holy hell, I didn’t think it would be this bad” Foekroka tweeted on December 27. “Relax, get mad at me all you want. People like waff, lolyou, etc have nothing to do with my ban lol. I’m not even worried about the ban because I’m sure it will get reverted.”
Holy hell, i didn't think it would be this bad. Relax, get mad at me all you want. People like waff, lolyou, etc have nothing to do with my ban lol. Im not even worried about the ban because im sure it will get reverted.
— Foekroka (@Foekroka) December 27, 2018
If the YouTuber believes he has a case, then his VAC ban can be overturned if it’s determined that it was issued incorrectly.
However, going through Steam Support is unlikely to help. Valve states via Steam that VAC bans are not “permanent, non-negotiable and cannot be removed by Steam Support.”
Update – January 4 2019
It would appear that Foekroka’s explanation for his VAC ban was, in fact, true. The YouTuber’s Steam account no longer has a VAC ban attached to it.
The entertainer uploaded a short video to YouTube on January 3 that shows some of the comments he received on Reddit, Twitter and other social media accounts after his original ban: