Call of Duty Accounts & Boosting

Call of Duty Accounts and Boosting: Activision's Enforcement

Call of Duty has no tradeable currency, so the third-party market is accounts, unlock services and boosting. Activision's enforcement here is among the most aggressive in gaming, combining anti-cheat, hardware bans and legal action against resellers.

What Activision says about account sales

In March 2025, Activision's official Call of Duty Updates account stated that account reselling violates the terms of use and that any account knowingly sold will be permanently banned, adding that selling accounts threatens the integrity of the community. It also reminded players to secure their accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

The Security and Enforcement Policy

Activision's published policy describes RICOCHET anti-cheat and a range of penalties: restrictions from Ranked Play, limited matchmaking, temporary or permanent bans, and revocation of skill rating points and rewards. It states that hardware bans apply to the device, not the account, that they are not eligible for appeal, and that players should exercise caution when purchasing, borrowing or using secondhand, shared or publicly accessible devices, because hardware bans can remain on devices previously used for violations. Older enforcement policies also define boosting — colluding with others to exploit the game for XP, prestige or unlocks — as a bannable offense.

Legal and technical pressure on the market

In September 2026, Team RICOCHET reported disrupting more than 375 cheat resellers, issuing more than 80 cease-and-desist demands, shutting down 31 primary vendors and issuing over 70,000 new hardware bans in a single month, alongside hardware attestation requirements such as TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Activision says making stolen accounts harder to obtain raises replacement costs for cheaters. The estimates of the market's overall size come from a threat-intelligence firm cited by Activision, so treat them as indicative.

Practical risks

• Permanent bans on knowingly sold accounts. A purchased account can be banned outright.
• Hardware bans. They attach to the device and cannot be appealed, which is especially serious on PC.
• Stolen accounts. Many accounts on the secondary market are stolen and recoverable by the original owner.
• Boosting. Services that unlock weapons or camos through exploits or by logging in to your account risk suspensions and bans.

Safer options

Progress in game with the challenges and events covered in our Call of Duty XP and unlocks farming guide and leveling guide. Secure your own account with two-factor authentication.

If you decide to buy from a third party

We cannot make a purchase compliant with Activision's terms, and given its public statements, we advise against buying accounts. If you go ahead, never share your login, avoid used hardware with an unknown history, use a payment with dispute rights and read our Call of Duty buying guide and safety guides.

Sources

• Activision Support — Call of Duty Security and Enforcement Policy
• GameSpot — Call of Duty warns that sold accounts will be banned (Mar 2025)
• Techtroduce — RICOCHET details crackdown on the cheat industry (Sept 2026)