I’ve honestly run out of options, so I’m posting here in the hope that someone from Niantic might actually see this.
I’ve already exhausted every avenue I can think of trying to get help with this situation. For the past 16 days, I have been trying every single day to find a way to reach someone who can actually review my case. I’ve submitted ban appeals through the official Niantic website, emailed termsofservice@niantic.com, reached out to Scopely support, messaged Niantic support through every social media platform I could find, and even tried using the chat bubbles available on both the ban appeal page and the Wayfarer website.
I understand that this issue most likely has nothing to do with Wayfarer, but I have used Wayfarer in the past and even successfully contributed a location that became a PokéStop/Gym in Pokémon GO. I know that may not be the correct channel for this situation, but at this point I have been searching for any possible way to reach an actual person who can review my case. I genuinely don’t know where else to turn.
Despite all of these attempts, I have either received the exact same automated response which only explained what a termination is, a response linking the ban appeal form, or no response at all. I’ve even tested the system by repeatedly submitting the same automated appeal response back through the form—at one point, I copied and pasted the response around 700 times just to see if anything would change or if my case would ever be recognized as something requiring an actual review. Every single time, the system returned the exact same response almost immediately, consistently arriving about 10 minutes later. It made it clear that my situation was never actually being reviewed by a person.
I’m not asking to be sent back to the appeal form again. I’ve already used those channels extensively. I’m simply hoping someone will actually look at what happened instead of letting an automated system make the final decision without considering the circumstances.
My Trainer Code is Mod Edit, and I believe my account was terminated because of activity that happened after my phone was stolen—not because of anything I did.
Here’s what happened.
On June 21, 2026, my iPhone charger was damaged and would only charge if I held it at a certain angle—I have since gotten a new charger. I had to leave before it had enough battery, so I brought an old prepaid Android phone that had been handed down to me instead. It had already been cleared beforehand, so there wasn’t anything personal stored on it. Aside from Pokémon GO and a handful of random preinstalled apps, the phone was essentially empty. I only intended to use it as a temporary backup until I could use my iPhone again.
Later that day, while I was at Walmart, the Android phone was stolen while it was still logged into my Pokémon GO account (foxxy0051). From that moment on, I no longer had possession of or access to the device. Any activity that occurred on the account after that point was completely outside of my knowledge or control.
Around June 23–24, I started noticing unusual things happening in-game. Pokémon would flee even after being caught, and I somehow received Timed Research from the Brazil event despite never participating in it. At the time, I assumed these were temporary server issues, connection problems, or some kind of glitch. I had no reason to believe my account had been compromised.
Then, to my dismay, on June 25, 2026, my account was permanently terminated.
Looking back at the timeline, I believe the activity that resulted in my termination occurred after my phone was stolen and was performed by whoever had possession of that device—not by me.
I’ve been playing Pokémon GO since 2017. I’ve put years into this game, created countless memories, and invested a significant amount of time, effort, and money into my account. It wasn’t just another mobile game to me—it became something I enjoyed regularly and a way to relax.
The timing of this situation made it even more difficult. My account was terminated around the birthdays of several of my deceased relatives, which are already emotionally significant dates for me. Losing an account that represented nearly nine years of memories during that time was incredibly difficult.
I’ve explained this entire timeline in appeal after appeal, but every response I’ve received has simply stated that my account violated the Terms of Service without addressing the stolen device, the possibility of unauthorized access, or the circumstances surrounding what happened. After everything I’ve tried, it genuinely feels like no one has actually reviewed the details of my case.
I’m not asking for special treatment, and I’m not asking Niantic to ignore its rules. I understand why the Terms of Service exist and why enforcement is necessary to protect Pokémon GO. All I’m asking is for my situation to be reviewed by an actual person who can consider the full context.
If any resolution can be reached regarding my account, I would be genuinely grateful. After everything that has happened and every avenue I’ve tried, having someone finally take the time to review my situation would mean more than I can explain.
If anyone from Niantic or the moderation team happens to see this, I sincerely hope my case can receive a genuine manual review. After playing since 2017, I just want someone to look at the complete timeline and make a fair determination based on what actually happened.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this. And if this somehow reaches someone at Niantic, I sincerely hope that the next time you reheat something in a microwave, it comes out perfectly heated with no cold spots.
TL;DR - Phone was stolen → I got banned → Support hasn’t been helpful
****Mod Edit. Personal information removed. Staff can still see.
