'GTA Online' cheats news: cheats facing stricter penalties

The Sanctus, one of the new items for the new "Halloween Specials" event for "GTA Online."Rockstar Games

Game developer Rockstar is cleaning up its "GTA Online" backyard. It has now imposed stricter measures against cheating players.

The studio announced, "To keep the gameplay environment fair we have removed illegitimately gained in-game money from player accounts. If you received an alert saying that your shared bank balance was adjusted, that is because you had illegitimate funds in your account."

"GTA Online" players who have cheated in the past will receive a notice or alert once they have logged-in into the game. In-game funds that have been purchased via Shark Cards will not be sequestered and will remain inside the player's bank account, the announcement added.

Suspensions and bans can also happen to online accounts of the game. This was explained in another post coming from Rockstar. Offenses that may result in suspensions or bans include "modding in GTA Online, exploiting or abusing game mechanics, manipulating protected game data and code, or interfering with other players' gameplay experience."

It also added, "Suspensions from GTA Online due to these reasons may be temporary suspensions or permanent bans depending on the severity of the infraction."

"GTA Online" players that already received a suspension can expect a permanent ban if another violation has been committed. Rockstar will also provide the duration of the suspension to the players via a splash screen once they return to the Story Mode of the game. To make emphasis on the wrong doings, characters will then be reset, along with the players' properties and inventory. Players cannot appeal the final decision made by the studio.

Meanwhile, to feel the festive mood of the Halloween celebrations, Rockstar announced that a new LCC Sanctus Motorcycle will arrive at the game. A new Lost Vs. Damned adversary mode will also be available, plus, unlockable in-game T-shirts, double GTA$ and RP Playlist.

The "GTA Online" Halloween event will start on Monday, Oct. 31 and will run until Nov. 7.