Pokemon Go player highlights “risky” use of popular Campfire feature

Campfire is a popular app by Pokemon Go devs Niantic that lets the community meet each other, organize Raids, and participate in events. But a player’s experience with the app has raised some suspicious “red flags” that may lead to “sketchy” situations.

Regardless of how long Pokemon Go players have been playing the mobile game, they often need the help of other trainers to complete tasks such as Raids or collecting all available Pokemon.

With the Campfire app providing a reliable means to check out active Raids in Gyms and meet with others, the community has been increasingly using this feature to good measure as they are able to interact with their in-game friends.

But when a Pokemon Go trainer had a rather unpleasant experience with Campfire, it shed light on several issues that could possibly stem out of this feature, and fellow players agree that noting these concerns is important to “stay safe.”

Reddit user ‘Leading_Attention_78’ wrote a post that detailed their experience while participating in Raids by using the Campfire feature in Pokemon Go.

The OP stated: “Use your head with Campfire, we didn’t tonight and it could have ended badly,” while explaining how the Raid organizer just didn’t show up and lead the group of participating players to “isolated” areas and called these issues as “red flags.”

Though the OP was fortunate enough to not get into any trouble over this, it led to comments about the possibility of the real-life risks being associated with the use of Campfire.

One of these possibilities is encountering people armed with a “gun or knife,” as another added that “when you get an odd feeling or get seemingly lured to non-busy places in the dark you should be careful.”

While a good number of users brushed off the OP’s concerns and claimed that the player was “overthinking,” many agreed that it’s “always better safe than sorry” and mentioned that the OP “made the right call” in what could have been a “sketchy situation.”

Another person added: “I’ve heard a lot of horror stories with Campfire. It’s only a matter of time before it escalates. Honestly, I wish Niantic would just provide a better alternative. This seems way too risky.”

Some users pointed out that in the OP’s situation, the Raid organizer might have been faking their location and spoofing to quickly go from one Raid to another. Players should note that spoofing is against Niantic’s Terms of Service (ToS) and violating it can fetch a permanent ban from the mobile game.

But even if there was spoofing involved, it goes without saying that the post brings a legitimate set of potential risks that Pokemon Go players need to be careful about.

As you explore Pokemon Go and its many features, check out how to get Remote Passes and details about the upcoming PokeStop Showcases.