If you’ve been thinking of trying to trick Pokemon GO (Free) in order to get those Pokemon more easily, you might want to rethink your plan because Niantic has now started permanently banning accounts that have anything to do with cheating of any kind. According to an announcement on Pokemon GO‘s webpage that offers a form for appealing a ban, Niantic is now permanently terminating player accounts for violations of the Pokemon GO Terms of Service. This includes, but not limited to, falsifying your location (cheating the GPS in other words), using emulators, using modified or unofficial software and/or accessing Pokemon GO clients or backends in an unauthorized manner including through the use of third party software.

Easy to see, then, that Niantic is trying to close any loopholes and is determined to bring down the perma-ban hammer on anyone who tries to cheat. The reason for this strictness is to provide a “fair, fun and legitimate game experience for everyone" according to Niantic. The developer plans to continue optimizing both the quality of gameplay but also the anti-cheat system. If you aren’t sure what Niantic might consider cheating, you can check the game’s terms of service here so you can stay on Niantic’s good side.