Suspected location modification and abusive recommendation (location spoofing) over 10 meters

tp235-INGtp235-ING Posts: 1,383 ✭✭✭✭✭


Title of the Wayspot:カラフル滑り台

Location:43.007048,141.38941

https://intel.ingress.com/intel?ll=43.007048,141.38941&z=17&pll=43.007048,141.38941

City: Sapporo

Country: Japan


Hello, Wayfarer team.

We found an interesting new wayspot this time.

We found suspected abusive nomination and review behavior by Pokémon GO players seen around the world, and the existence of an abusive community trying to influence certain game fields by performing abuses.

As such, we are requesting that you correct the location of this wayspot and investigate the abusive behavior of this player and community.


This wayspot is a playground equipment in a park.

It is a qualified candidate and I have no objection to approving it.

However, as I write this article, a new wayspot of the same nature (playground equipment) has also appeared in the immediate vicinity.

However, I found the following interesting events



1. the location information is clearly off. And although the 360° photo itself has already been removed, it is clearly PIN'd to the wrong location. This is why it looked like the location was correct at the time of review.


2. There are an unusually large number of photos for a recently approved wayspot. It could be a series of spammy nominations, or an unusual number of photo uploads after approval. And all of the photos have a lot of likes (thumbs up).


3. There are multiple nominators even though the 10 photos are all the same (only with different effects). This constitutes multi-account or account-sharing, which is illegal in games.


First of all, as you will understand in your review, when there is no street view in a park, the street view of the nearest location is displayed. The nominator exploits this to place the 360° photo in the vicinity of the PIN it wants to place arbitrarily.

By doing so, they made it look like it was in the right place.

As a result, this wayspot is about 20 meters off from the correct location.

Therefore, it should be corrected to the correct location.



As for the second point, this screenshot was taken on January 29. The number of photos at this point is extraordinary. Also noteworthy is the number of likes given to each photo.

Normally, it is unlikely that each photo would get this many likes in this number of days.

Therefore, it is clear that the Pokémon GO rumor that has been going around for some time about Pokéstop photos and the wayspot with the most likes becoming the next gym is an arbitrary act by local Pokémon GO trainers (probably all multi-account) to influence the game field.

I will have to discuss this point with the team in charge of Pokémon GO, but at least I remember that trying to influence a specific game with wayfarers was prohibited.

Therefore, at the very least, these players should be banned from wayfarer forever.

If they had any intention of reforming themselves, they would not be using multi-accounts, which is cheating the game in the first place.


Last but not least, 3. Look closely at the picture. Look closely at the green circle and the yellow square.

Notice the snowflakes and the clouds in the picture, which are disguised with effects.

What are the chances that the same snowflake and cloud will be photographed exactly the same way by different players on different days?

Of course, it is zero percent.

Therefore, they are all the same photo.

They have been uploaded by different players.

At this point, it's already clear that it's a multi-account situation.

There is no possibility that other players will share the same photo.

Also, if you are a smart imposter, you will take a different photo each time and upload it.

Some Pokémon trainers are UNKNOWN, but they are all the same person.









Please investigate the above along with any new wayspots that appear today.

Title of the Wayspot:カラフルブランコ

Location: 43.007296,141.38932

https://intel.ingress.com/intel?ll=43.007296,141.38932&z=17&pll=43.007296,141.38932



As you know, Pokémon GO players use a thing called an S2 cell to arbitrarily decide where to go instead of where the wayspot is.

You should work with the team in charge of Pokémon GO to get rid of this really stupid system and build a new one.

If you don't, this wayfarer system will soon collapse and become garbage. (The signs are already visible everywhere, and good wayfinders are warning you.)

Tagged:

Comments

  • tp235-INGtp235-ING Posts: 1,383 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @NianticGiffard @NianticVK and @NianticTintino


    Hi Wayfarer Team.


    It will soon be a week, but as of now, we have not received any response.

    However, I am happy to report that this one is progressing in a bad way.

    As of February 11 (Japan time), Pokéstops that were approved with this arbitrary intention of shifting their locations are being inputted with more Likes to create sofa Pokémon Gyms.

    I will upload a photo of the first one on behalf of the company, but it is currently 46.


    2022/02/11(UTC+9)


    That's an increase of +9 in two weeks.

    And the same goes for the other photos.

    Also, of the Pokémon trainers who uploaded these same 10 photos, odakunmisokonai seems to have changed his name to 524gojoumegu524.


    odakunmisokonai → 524gojoumegu524


    This behavior constitutes obvious multi-accounting and manipulation of the field by an abusive community.

    I then informed @NianticTintino via DM that the abusive community already existed in August 2021.

    @NianticTintino promised to investigate, but so far there has been no response, and unfortunately nothing seems to have been done, as this community has doubled in size since then.


    2021-08-23(UTC+9)


    2022-02-11(UTC+9)


    Also, if they are all multi-account, then as I feared, the screening results can be easily manipulated.

    Currently, wayfarers are being abused all over the world.

    Also, I am aware of the social network accounts of the Pokémon trainers who arbitrarily recommended this wayspot.

    If you want us to investigate further, we'll send you a DM.


    First of all, please correct your location as soon as possible.

    Also, the wayspots that grew abusively in the same category next to each other should be merged.

    On top of that, all photos uploaded with multiple accounts should be erased.

    Also, the number of likes should be erased and locked.

    After that, this multi-account should be suspended from wayfarer.

    Finally, slowly investigate this abusive community. (I know this will take some time)


    And you know that we get reports of abuse from fair wayfinders every day.

    But I don't think they are being handled effectively.


    We want a fair, clean and wonderful field of wayfarers.

    That field will definitely make every game great.

    And the wayfarer team should get up ASAP to make that wonderful field.


    I await your response.

    Thank you.

  • tp235-INGtp235-ING Posts: 1,383 ✭✭✭✭✭


    As an aside, let's add a little more to the whole thing.


    This is the same phenomenon that occurred in another area (Meito-ku, Nagoya City, Japan) where we posted our last report.

    An unusual number of "Likes" (thumbs up) appear in a short period of time. (thumbs up) are entered in a short period of time. (thumbs up) are displayed in a short time. And multiple photos are added in a short period of time.


    https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/26053/fake-wayspot-and-abuse-community


    This kind of thing probably happens frequently all over the world. Way spots are generated in the wrong places by fabrication and falsehood for the benefit of a particular game.

    It is a very alarming situation.

    It is an abuse of the fair wayfinder and the players of each game.


    I know it sounds like I'm blaming you, but this in itself is not the fault of the wayfinder team.

    The blame lies with Pokémon GO's poor Pokémon Gym creation requirement system and poor, cheating-inducing game system.

    There is talk that this has been partially improved, but my guess is that this is not the case.

    This is a system that can easily be abused.

    Especially in Pokémon GO, where the majority of players are multi-account cheaters, you are completely helpless against trainers.

    The teams in charge of wayfarer, Pokémon GO, and Ingress should work together to improve this poor situation as soon as possible.

    That's how bad the wayfarer environment has become around the world.

  • Hello @tp235-ING, thanks for flagging! We have reviewed the report, removed 9 invalid images, moved 2 Wayspots to their correct location, and took action on 4 Wayfinders in accordance with our policies. While we are unable to discuss our actions in detail to protect the submitter’s privacy, they may include, but are not limited to, sending a warning message, placing restrictions on their Wayfarer, Pokémon GO, or Ingress account, putting their account on probation, or placing a temporary or permanent suspension on their Wayfarer, Pokémon GO or Ingress account.

    Thanks for helping us maintain the quality of the Wayspots.

  • tp235-INGtp235-ING Posts: 1,383 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    @NianticGiffard

    Thank you for your wise decision.


    Also, this nominator and the players around him don't understand why arbitrary nominations and actions that affect a particular game are wrong.

    Also, fundamentally, they don't even understand that multi-accounting is a cheating behavior and consider it as one of the techniques to conquer the game.

    Therefore, similar cases exist, and we will let you know again when we finish our investigation.



    Also, sorry to use this post, but I'm currently struggling with a number of these nominations for review.

    It would be helpful if you could give me some clear guidelines.

    https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/27684/nomination-and-review-decisions-when-multiple-identical-objects-are-separated-by-a-certain-distance

  • sinXsan-INGsinXsan-ING Posts: 299 ✭✭✭
    edited February 2022

    @NianticGiffard @NianticTintino

    I'll add a few things.

    I found out that the trainer who seems to have been punished for this case has insulted Tp235 by name and tweeted about attacking him in the real world.


    This time, the NIA seems to have given a warning, but the trainer who has been disciplined is upset and is trying to hurt the person who reported the fraud. Shouldn't we consider suspending the account itself as well?


    The following is a translation of the tweet into English.

    The guy who tipped me off about the cheating at the pokestop near my friend's house and mine was an asshole Ingress player named Tp235. When I saw his community posts, I realized he's a righteous guy who just goes around erasing Pokestops. He posts every single post in English and he's bored. Go **** yourself!


    I got a weird email from NIA. All the images I got from my friends who liked me have disappeared...

    Is that all illegal? And it said they're going to destroy my Pokémon Go account.

    If that's the case, why didn't you just say from the beginning that posting pictures is cheating?


    More pokestops may not be able to be made into gyms anymore. I'm really pissed off.


    I just looked at the community and saw that I've been tipped off by some ******* of an Ingress player. I might lose the pokestop I put in my house. I'm so ******* pissed.

    Post edited by NianticGiffard on
  • tp235-INGtp235-ING Posts: 1,383 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I also learned about this from another person who reported it to me.

    And later, he also told me that the corrected wayspot of the same cluster was restored, but I was disappointed that he did not show any sign of remorse.

    It seems that your advice is not being heeded.

    How should I report this?


    @NianticGiffard @NianticTintino

  • Hello @SturmRugerLCR-PGO and @tp235-ING, either of you can report this incident to our concerned team through our in-app.

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