Activities related to “Pokemon Go” have prompted law enforcement agencies around the U.S. to issue a number of warnings about the increasingly popular smartphone game.
Some agencies have noted a rise in trespassing and other suspicious activities because of the augmented reality app, which has been downloaded on more than 1 million Apple and Android devices since its release Thursday, CNN reported.
The Goochland County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia noted that deputies have located a number of people going to businesses, churches and government buildings when they are closed to look for Pokemon characters.
Those actions are considered trespassing, the department said, and potentially puts the individual at risk.
The Wyoming, Minnesota, Police Department issued a similar warning about trespassing on private property while playing the game.
“Please don’t try it out at 1 AM and walk into someone’s backyard to catch one. Please. Pretty please. #PokemonGo,” the department tweeted.
Other agencies warned about the dangers of driving and playing “Pokemon Go.”
“Wait. Park. Then, Pokemon GO! Do NOT use mobile gaming apps while driving,” the Tennessee Highway Safety Office wrote on its Facebook page.
The Washington State Department of Transportation issued a similar message to drivers, telling them not to use the app while they are headed somewhere in their vehicles.
Players were also urged to be aware of their surroundings while walking around in public.
In Southern California, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and the Garden Grove Fire Department encouraged users in separate social media posts to keep their heads up and their phones down as they navigate city streets.
“Warning: Gamers using #PokemonGO-Don’t get so engrossed you aren’t aware,” the sheriff’s station said in a tweet.
Police in Crewe, Virginia, wrote on Facebook that they were issuing a safety warning after noticing an increased amount of foot traffic in town and finding individuals “walking aimlessly in circles while staring at their phones.”
But perhaps the most serious incident related to the game thus far occurred in the St. Louis area over the weekend, when four teens were accused in multiple armed robberies in which they allegedly used “Pokemon Go” to target their victims, according to the O’Fallon Police Department in Missouri.
The agency cautioned players in a Facebook post on Sunday to be careful when sharing their locations with strangers through the app.