Spoofers are back
July was an interesting month, I noticed people on the street visiting gyms (even a group in a car).
Then I was away for a month, and since I came back I see that my two village gyms that used to be stagnant are now changing a few times a day.
Including a persistent trainer from a nearby town, of the group that was driving around in July. I investigated if she really drives to my village every time (4 km) and must conclude there was nobody possibly around in the streets. Same with some unknown trainers from my own color.
It seems spoofing has suddenly become popular again :(
Answers
Yes, I reported it.
Automatic response:
"Thank you for taking the time to report inappropriate gameplay. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
To protect the privacy of others, we cannot discuss any actions we take and you will not receive an update after your report has been reviewed.
We take these matters seriously and your reports are very helpful for our investigations. We appreciate your help in keeping Pokémon GO welcoming for everyone."
I will keep an eye out for any changes in the way these trainers play.
A previous time, I received this non-automatic response:
"Hello,
We appreciate you taking the time to bring this to our attention.
We cannot discuss actions we may take on another player’s account. This data will be used to improve our cheat detection efforts going forward.
Thanks again for your help.
Best Regards,
Mason
Niantic Support"
There is a group of four instinct spoofers (possibly one multiaccounter) in my town that are incredibly brazen. I think they probably rotate where they take gyms at least. Once a week they will come through at night and paint the whole town yellow, immediately taking back any gyms that change. At most gyms there could be a lot of different places where people could fight without being immediately viewable, but it becomes incredibly obvious when four people repeatedly take back two gyms that someone there in person would need to walk across a street for and I see no one.