High profile Pokémon Go player wants account back after devastating hack

In a recent incident that has captured the attention of the gaming community, prominent Pokémon Go player FleeceKing experienced a devastating hack that compromised his account and resulted in the loss of some of his rarest Pokémon. FleeceKing, known for his Guinness World Record as the first player to achieve Pokémon Go’s current Level 50 cap, has been a dedicated player since 2017, accumulating over 2 million Pokémon along the way.

FleeceKing took to social media to share the distressing news, revealing that someone had gained access to his account and was actively deleting his favorite Pokémon. In a heartfelt post, he expressed his disbelief and frustration, stating, “My account has been hacked. [Someone is] deleting my Pokémon, bragging about it. No one has my account details; I don’t know how and why this has happened. I am at a complete loss for words and am completely shaken up and sad.”

Following the hack, FleeceKing reported the incident to Niantic, the game’s developer, and indicated that the team was working diligently to restore his access. Despite initial fears of permanent loss, Niantic has since confirmed that they assisted in returning FleeceKing’s account. They emphasized that their internal security was not at fault, suggesting that the hacker exploited the account recovery process to gain access.

A Niantic spokesperson stated, “We can confirm that we’ve been able to restore FleeceKing’s access to his account. After investigating, we can confirm that there isn’t any systemic security flaw, and we’re also using this situation to further strengthen our account recovery protocol. We want all Trainers to have a safe experience and we take protecting people’s accounts extremely seriously.” The company encourages all players to follow their guidelines on account security.

While it remains unclear if the prized Pokémon deleted during the hack have been returned, players who have FleeceKing on their friend lists have reported that he is once again in possession of his beloved Shiny Mareep with perfect stats, indicating some form of account rollback may have occurred.

In addressing the situation, FleeceKing thanked the Niantic team for their assistance and linked to their help page on account security. He urged all players to familiarize themselves with security measures to protect their accounts, stating, “Let this be a lesson to us all to be as familiar as we can be with security and safety.”

Despite the outcome, questions linger regarding how the hacker gained access to FleeceKing’s account. The hacker claimed they did not hack into Niantic or FleeceKing’s personal details, leaving the community puzzled about the method used.

FleeceKing expressed concern about his future in the game, admitting, “With all honesty, don’t know if I’ll have the motivation to play and continue after this situation.” The incident has highlighted the vulnerabilities players face, as Niantic has historically stated that deleted Pokémon cannot be recovered, raising speculation on whether exceptions might be made for high-profile players like FleeceKing.

As the gaming world watches closely, this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of account security and the emotional toll that such breaches can take on dedicated players. FleeceKing’s experience underscores the need for vigilance and robust security practices within the Pokémon Go community.