Pokémon GO Has A Three-Strike Discipline Policy For Cheaters

Niantic has released a statement going over its Three-Strike Discipline Policy for dealing with people who cheat while playing Pokémon GO. The company says its approach is designed to offer increasingly severe punishments for cheating, while giving people who are misbehaving a chance to receive warnings and learn from their mistakes. This way, people can have a chance to change their behaviors and not violate the game’s Terms of Service or Trainer Guidelines.

For the most part, the strikes proceed in this fashion. For a first offense, people will get a warning that lasts seven days. During that week-long period, you might not be able to encounter rare Pokémon or get EX Raid Passes. The second strike is a suspension. This will keep someone from accessing Pokémon GO for around 30 days. When the month-long period is up, you can play as normal. The final strike is termination, in which an account is permanently banned. However, Niantic does note that it is possible for some people to still receive a permanent ban without getting the prior two strikes, depending on the offenses. It also notes that it is possible to attempt to appeal a termination.

Pokémon GO is available for Android and Apple iOS devices.