Pokemon Go players demand action as ‘spoofer’ problem rages on

Alan Bernal
Pokemon Go radar screen

Pokemon Go players are sounding off at cheaters in the game as ‘spoofing’ continues to derail gameplay and are asking Niantic to help solve the problem.

As the devs continue their Season of Alola with the Lush Jungle event, players are getting back to the swing of things in Pokemon Go. Some, however, are finding multiple gyms repeatedly being taken over by ‘spoofers’ in the game.

This type of cheat lets players fool Niantic’s GPS tracking, making it possible for them to ‘reach’ areas far from their location and find new ‘mons and gyms to interact with.

But this can cause major headaches for players who, for example, want to build a streak at nearby Gyms but they can’t because of spoofers who can easily bump them off.

pokemon go spoofer bulbasaur
Pokemon Go players are concerned with the amount of ‘spoofers’ that remain in the game.

Reddit user ‘Disconcerted-Owl’ found themself reporting a few different accounts from what they suspect to be the same person.

The player has been dealing with the spoofer for years, revealing that the cheater in question probably has “six accounts in all three factions.”

“Spoofing for three years and none of the accounts have even hit level 40?” another player surmised. “Almost seems like he set up some automated thing and left it running. Anyone actually playing the game would be leveling.”

The best option players would have to thwart spoofers is to simply report each suspected account as they crop up or hit up Niantic at its Twitter helpline.

pokemon go spoofing
Pokemon Go players want Niantic to address ‘spoofing,’ as cheaters are dampening gameplay around gyms.

Popular AR games task players to explore their surroundings. In PoGo, the more people explore the more gyms they can find, PokeStops they can farm, and Pokemon they can catch.

But by tricking the GPS and using a VPN, fans can ‘spoof,’ meaning they can dupe the system and play right from their house.

As appealing as it might be, Pokemon Go players warn against it since it can ruin the game for other people. Now it’s up to Niantic to find a way to help quell the issue to prevent it from happening.

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