Monsters caught by Pokemon Go cheaters will now carry a mark of shame and won't 'behave as expected'

Developer Niantic is looking to tackle cheating in its popular mobile AR-powered Pokémon Go with a new mark of shame. Now, creatures caught using unofficial means will be flagged with a mark and "may not behave as expected", the company said.

In a Reddit post on Tuesday (21 June), a representative from Niantic wrote: "With the announcement of Raid Battles and the new battle features, we are staying true on our commitment to ensuring that Pokémon Go continues to be a fun and fair experience for all Trainers.

"Starting today, Pokémon caught using third-party services that circumvent normal gameplay will appear marked with a slash in the inventory and may not behave as expected," the post continues. "We are humbled by the excitement for all the new features we announced yesterday.

"This is one small part of our continued commitment to maintaining the integrity of our community and delivering an amazing Pokémon Go experience."

Since its massively successful launch last summer, Niantic has continued to take a hard stance on cheaters in Pokémon and discourage players from using third-party apps and services to track and capture the digital critters.

The developer has previously permanently banned, soft banned and "shadowbanned" players caught using third-party tracking apps, bot programs or other spoofer services to trick the game. Niantic has also blocked the use of such apps.

Some players have already posted videos and photos on social media and in forums showing the slashed Pokémon in their inventory.

The latest anti-cheating measure comes alongside the latest, huge update rolled out for Pokémon Go. The update included a slew of new features including Raid Battles, a new motivation system for Gyms and the ability to search your Pokémon collection.