How to avoid getting falsely banned in Call of Duty

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of complaints from players getting falsely banned in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone. This is a serious problem Activision needs to address but as a player, you can take this step I'm about to share to avoid getting banned for no reason in the game.

Players' accounts are getting falsely banned because of hackers and cheating software-selling companies. Your account may be targeted, hacked, and then sold to players who want to cheat in the game. They are eventually detected by the anti-cheat software (Ricochet) and your ID gets permanently disabled.

How to avoid false bans in Call of Duty

To avoid getting wrongly banned in Call of Duty, you should enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account as soon as possible. When you do this, you'll be asked to enter a unique code every time you log in to your account from a new device. Hence, even if the hackers crack your password, they cannot get the ever-changing 2FA code.

How to enable two-factor authentication in Call of Duty

To enable two-factor authentication, log in to your Call of Duty profile using your registered email. After you enter your credentials and sign in, you'll be immediately prompted to Set Up Two-factor Authentication on the next screen (see image) if you haven't done this already. If you don't get this option, go to the Privacy & Security tab under your profile and select Enable Two-factor Authentication (second image).

Once you choose to enable 2FA, you'll have to verify your account by entering the code sent to your email address. After that, you'll get a pop-up explaining how to enable this security check as I've shown above. Now, download any of the following authenticator apps on your smartphone: Google Authenticator, Duo Mobile, Authy, or Microsoft Authenticator.

Log in to your app and use the in-app camera to scan the QR code shown on the screen (on your CoD account). If this doesn't work, you'll have to manually enter the key below the QR code into the app. Once this is done, enter the Code appearing on the app and your profile password into the box and hit Activate. You should then have successfully enabled two-factor authentication on your Call of Duty / Activision account.

From now on, whenever you have to log in, you will not only have to enter your password but also the unique 2FA code from the authenticator app. If you don't have the app for some reason or have uninstalled it, you can check your email for backup codes that are sent the moment you enable two-factor authentication on your account.

How to check ban status in Call of Duty

To check if your Call of Duty account is under review or has been permanently banned, you can visit the Activision Ban Appeal website. Enter your login details and you'll find out the status of your account (as you can see in the image, no ban was detected on my account).

Here, you'll also be notified that bans will only be overturned if it's confirmed that it was due to your account being hacked. Furthermore, temporary bans like shadow bans that put you in a limited matchmaking state cannot be appealed. These bans happen when you're reported multiple times by opponents and are automatically lifted in a few days. So you better not be using our recommended meta loadouts in Warzone to avoid getting reported for being too good at the game (kidding).

Stay tuned to Pro Game Guides for more Call of Duty content. In the meantime, head over to our How to get the Ghost title in Warzone article.