Pokemon Go developers Niantic have introduced permanent bans for players they believe to be cheating through methods including falsifying location or using "modified or unofficial software".
Niantic's Pokemon Go website has been quietly updated to include the ban for "violations of the Pokemon Go Terms of Service".
Players have been using phone "jailbreaking" software to get around the game's GPS restrictions.
In doing so, they are able to "catch them all" from any location around the globe, while physically remaining in one place.
The updated Niantic page includes a link to an appeal form for players who believe they have had their accounts wrongly terminated.
Redditors try to get banned on purpose
Previously, cheating typically resulted in "soft bans" of up to 12 hours, but Niantic has raised the stakes in a bid to stamp out the practice.
Contributors on the PokemonGoDEV sub-Reddit who initially discovered the Niantic policy changes have been openly cheating in order to test the company's permanent ban threat.
Most are reporting few if any repercussions for cheating.
"Still working 100 per cent. Not even a soft ban. Later tonight I will try a direct teleport to somewhere far away and see if that affects anything," one Redditor wrote.
Niantic says the their terms of service are a work in progress.
"We will continue to work with all of you to improve the quality of the gameplay, including ongoing optimisation and fine tuning of our anti-cheat system," the updated website said.
The game has drawn criticism with players crashing cars and trespassing while chasing the pocket monsters.
Earlier this month, two teenagers who disrupted a Brisbane funeral service inside a church were believed to be playing the game.