A Roblox exploit is triggering automatic account bans

Nefarious game makers appear to be leveraging a chat-based Roblox exploit that results in automatic account bans for unsuspecting users.

A chat-based Roblox exploit appears to be causing players to lose account access after joining specific games. Multiple members of the Roblox community report falling victim to the exploits, with punishments that range from a few days to permanent bans.

Roblox Trading News initially flagged the exploit, noting that players who joined an experience called Crossroads [A.2] would immediately have their accounts banned. The exploit reportedly works by taking over the user’s chat and triggering strings of inappropriate phrases. Roblox’s chat moderation tools automatically flag these phrases, which leads innocent players to then face account bans.

Roblox streamer KreekCraft addressed the issue in a video titled “My Roblox Account Was Banned.” The video includes footage of streamer clarkt1000 falling victim to the exploit and becoming audibly upset upon learning of the ban. Although Crossroads [A.2] is no longer accessible on the platform, KreekCraft claims to know of at least four other games that appear to be using the same functionality to trigger bans.

KreekCraft then confirms that when he used an alternative account to try to access a game that leveraged the exploit, which one of his viewers provided for testing purposes, he found himself facing an account ban. 

So far, the exploit appears to be limited to obscure titles. However, given the shareable nature of Roblox experiences, players are advised not to click on any links to unknown games until the company can resolve the issue. Robloxians can further protect their accounts by playing only trusted games. Users should also be aware that games that use backdoor scripts to teleport players to other experiences could teleport them into games where they can get instantly banned. Twitter user Antcar, whose profile lists them as a game developer, shared instructions on how players can disable the platform’s chat features as an additional precautionary measure. 

In a follow-up to the account ban video, KreekCraft shows documentation that Roblox’s development team is aware its chat features are subject to possible exploitation. He also discusses developer claims that Roblox may have known about the potential for hackers to abuse the exploit as far back as 2016. Roblox has yet to make a public statement about the issues.

Content moderation is an ongoing struggle in Roblox’s metaverse. The platform has 54.1 million daily active users as of early 2022, and the company openly disclosed its challenges with content moderation among its large fanbase in its 2020 IPO filing. The company leverages AI to automatically flag suspect content but claims only human moderators take action on accounts.

To find safe games to play while Roblox addresses these issues, check out our list of the best Roblox games of 2022. And, don’t forget to redeem your free promo Roblox codes for July to snag some free avatar items this month.