Bank accounts of cheated funds are also being emptied.
Though cheating has been a widespread reality in Grand Theft Auto Online for some time now, Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are aiming to rid the game of players who use mods to obtain illegitimate in-game cash. After targeting developers of mods and cheats, the company is shifting their focus to players who actually used the mods.
According to IBTimes UK, targeted players have been using third-party mods to give themselves in-game currency in the online mode of Grand Theft Auto V on PC. Mods like Force Hax, subVersion, and Menyoo allow players to get money, kick other players from the game, and even steal in-game cash from other players. GTA Online currency is legitimately obtained by either in-game jobs or paying for it with real money, so Rockstar could be losing some serious profits to these mods.
Reports on Unknown Cheats say some accounts are receiving temporary bans from these money mods, and repeat offenders are even receiving permanent bans from GTA Online. Also, many players have been getting their GTA Online cash taken by Rockstar — anywhere from a few million to a few billion dollars.
Rockstar confirmed their anti-cheating methods in a recent support post:
“We are aware of cheaters who are manipulating the in-game funds and RP levels for themselves and other players in GTA Online. In an effort to create a fair gameplay environment for all players, we routinely perform security sweeps for any illegitimately gained GTA$ and adjusted RP levels. Players who have had their accounts affected should see corrections being made.”
The game company confirmed that money earned genuinely “will remain on the account and are not affected by illegitimately gained in-game money removal.”
This isn’t the first time Rockstar and Take-Two have broken out the ban hammer, and it likely won’t be the last. Have you been affected by this GTA Online ban-wave? Let us know in the comments.
