Concerns re: Spoofing [A Dedicated Thread]

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  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    Perfect glyphing - there have been glyph hacks in hacked clients for years with built in error margins, delay etc to emulate a player.

  • VaskinCallVaskinCall ✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2022
  • AzhreiaAzhreia ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm only aware of the last two. Please PM me for the other one.

  • VaskinCallVaskinCall ✭✭✭✭
  • They still have to get it right to get the AP they're levelling with though. Someone who doesn't play but levels through glyphing alone is suspicious from the outset, and should warrant further review.

  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭

    @NianticThia in the last month I have been attacked by about fifteen different fake accounts, why doesn't the support block or ban them?

  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭

    Yes, I have made several reports, but they are closed without the support taking action. Out of 15 fake accounts reported only 5 have been banned, the remaining ones continue to play every day. Some of these accounts have been leveled on the other side of the world, left inactive for 6 months and then used in spoofing on our main portals. It is not difficult to understand that this is not a legit player. Other accounts instead are used only to put mods on our home portals or **** in comm

  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭

    Another account was banned today, 9 more remain

  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭

    16598439, 16598375, 16598401, 16598462 these tickets were opened 4 days ago, no response from support yet. In the meantime, 2 other fakes have been added and 1, of those already reported, has broken our other portals

  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭
    edited April 2022

    @NianticVK this portal was captured via gps spoofing, 4 accounts were used. They were all reported, but only two were banned. Today a new account has also been created with a nick very similar to the banned one. Also Incazzat0____ has replaced InCaZzAtO____ another previously banned account. Support continues to close tickets without banning other accounts. I also requested the fast track, but still no vanguard has contacted me.



  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭

    Tickets #16689342, #16689292, #16689173, #16672271, #16672168

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    Is this the new support form?

  • WooormsWooorms ✭✭✭

    Oh I had that not so long ago, two accounts spoofing one portal, two reported, only one banned… The other one was banned months later for another incident… This is stupid.

  • fxcfxc ✭✭✭

    Niantic is no longer able to identify fake accounts, also asks us not to talk about them in the forum, asking us to write only in this post that nobody reads

  • NoctarionNoctarion ✭✭✭
    edited May 2022

    To those that report constantly, I'm curious about who's reviewing your reports.

    We have a case of psycopath harassment again and we've been reporting a lot of accounts that are clearly spoofing and created to mock/h4r4ss someone, using homophobic or insulting words mixed with another agent's codename.

    We've been getting our reports reviewed by Tura and Louise, and at least in my case I see a lot of reports reviewed by Tura that and end up in nothing, when the psych0 is clearly spoofing crossing the Andes in 2 hours when it would take around 6 hours from one point to another.

    This is not a case of spoofing to get advantage over the other team or bringing down specific places, this is harassment and targeting. He has been making over 10-12 accounts in the span of 1 week just to bother and st4lk someone.

    Can you share your experiences with who and how they review your reports? Just to see if they are clearly doing their job right or not.

  • mortuusmortuus ✭✭✭✭✭

    even comm harassment seems nothing is done and the messages they can easily translate and see if it breaks ToS. I dont get it, it says dont **** threat defame in rules but yet i have reported such players of the years and nothing has happend probably not even a warning...

  • NoctarionNoctarion ✭✭✭
    edited May 2022

    I really don't understand what's wrong with the system or the mind of those reviewing spoofing reports. There have been 4 accounts har4ssing for weeks a city and a specific player, we've been reporting over and over and they are not banned at all. For F sake, it's been 2 weeks of constant harassment, what the F do we have to do to be heard? Who do we have to talk to stop this psychopath? Tura and Louise aren't doin sh1t with bans . Fire them please.

    Post edited by Noctarion on
  • I'm going to vent, and then propose a solution.

    VENT

    I invited a new player into the game. His name and home address was shortly after doxxed in Ingress Comms. The official reply was, "Sorry, we can't do anything, but eventually that communication will disappear." Shortly after, he accused somebody of spoofing. His account was blocked, and all of his posts deleted.

    That makes me believe that Niantic cares more about the perception of the integrity of the game, than personal information. It's disappointing, and I've stopped playing.

    SOLUTION

    Would a biometric password help the multi-account/spoofing situation at all? You capture and encrypt a thumb print, and then that print can't be used for any other account. I'm sure there are cheats and work arounds, but it feels like it would raise the bar for the spoofers, and provide a not-too-difficult process for those of us who play fair. You wouldn't even need to provide your biometric password often, just every once in a while. Or if there is suspicious activity on your account.

    Currently this "game" is little more than a platform for trolls, and it's too bad, because there is a lot of lost potential.

  • The official reply was, "Sorry, we can't do anything, but eventually that communication will disappear."

    Sorry that agent went through the experience, but that support response is absurd. Of course they can delete comms from the system. And if they can't, that's even more absurd. Exposing someone's privacy and responding with "shrug nothing we can do" is just insane.

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    I like the biometric idea. Would it work on all devices though? And would all players agree to sending their thumbprint to Niantic?

  • It's super easy to fake biometrics if you control the initial gathering device, and the device taking the scan. Just keep resending the same (or slight variation) biometric signature each time. Someone could fake a whole pile of different fingerprints for their accounts, then just have the device send them.

    This is the whole problem with "insecure client" software.

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    Could you not tie the print to the device?

    I think we're past the point of a perfect solution, anything to cut down casual multiaccounting would be better than nothing.

  • ToxoplasmollyToxoplasmolly ✭✭✭✭✭

    If you tie something to a device, the question then becomes, how much of a hassle does someone have to go through to switch devices?

    It's not a great selling point if the answer is anything other than "you can switch devices freely."

    I accept that hassle for my 2FA setup because it is required by my employer and also guards things that *I* have decided are worth that hassle. I don't see Ingress as being on that level.

  • edited May 2022

    It wouldn't work unless you had people rock up to a Niantic office to record their biometric data. It's only as secure as the control value.

    There are plenty of ways to "stop" casual multiaccounting, but the question is how much damage they do to legitimate users. And in most cases it's "More than they solve".

    As always, the most effective way to prevent cheating is to turn the servers off. But that's not a solution anyone wants. I'd also ask how much damage 'casual multi accounting' distinct from *actual spoofing* really does. Things like removing duping keys, or even removing Quantums, would just return them to simple backpacks. Most "multi-accounting" isn't people running multiple L8+ accounts acting in concert.

  • TheKingEngineTheKingEngine ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2022

    Unfortunately Niantic does not ask for a good solution like this.

    They just don't care about stopping multi-accounting, as you know.

    reports just did not stop this guy from acquiring EOS Imprint badge by doing blatant win-win trading with his 3 sub-accounts

  • Ok there is seriously phishy stuff by me. I went to a portal... it was a residential building. The title said "woman on building" and is just a literal concrete vanity on the building. There are accounts with the same beginning work "disaster" followed by another word. They seem to magically be taking over in places I at even when physically I'm the only person around that can reach the portal..


    How can I flag this? I reported the location. I'm a wayfarer through my pokemo. Go account. But the spoofing is annoying and literally sucks the fun out of this. I'm sure there is a process but I don't know if there is a poc in my town or region. How does the process work?

  • SSSputnikSSSputnik ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'd argue casuals cause massive damage.

    4 mods per portal, with extra high level resonators makes them much harder to ****.

    Plus the gear and keys they farm.

    Saw one guy with at least 10 accounts.

    They seriously unbalance things.

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