Niantic is working to reverse a number of false account bans in Pokémon GO.

As reported by Eurogamer, an anti-cheating system in-game has incorrectly identified several users as using "third-party applications" to 'cheat' in the game.

Players affected by the ban received a seven day 'soft ban' warning, followed by a 30-day account ban that temporarily prevents access to the account. A third and final ban ensues that permanently removes access to the account.

The developer has stated that it has acknowledged the issue and is currently working to reinstate the banned accounts.

Reinstating accounts

One method players use to cheat in the game is to mask their location to teleport around the world to collect rare Pokémon , a tactic known as "spoofing." These actions may also harm other players as they are used to consistently maintaining positions in Pokémon gyms.

Niantic claimed that it has banned over five million players for cheating in 2020, with one million players receiving a permanent ban.

"We're working on reverting strikes for some trainers who incorrectly received punishments on their accounts," a Niantic spokesperson told Eurogamer.

"This will be done for trainers automatically, whether or not they have contacted us. We apologise for the error."

The recent Pokémon GO Fest event generated over $20 million within two days, with player spending being 3.5 times more than an average weekend.

Throughout its lifetime of five years, Pokémon GO has accumulated $5 billion with $1 billion being made in the past seven months.