Foursquare, the latest darling of the social media world, is showing signs of reaching maturity by launching what could be described as a ‘crackdown’ on users previously taking advantage of its trusting nature.

This week, the location-based mobile gaming platform introduced a ‘cheater code’ in an attempt to catch out users falsely checking-in to venues and claiming credits that eventually earn them discounts or prizes. As more brands partner with Foursquare, gaming the system to get something for free will become a greater problem as the community grows.

Foursquare now uses GPS tracking each time a user checks-in to a venue in order to verify that each one is a legitimate entry. And why is this a sign of being on the cusp of something big? It demonstrates to brands – that are giving it serious attention as a marketing tool – that Foursquare means business and not just desperate for users who are prepared to ‘cheat’.

The company had formerly refrained from implementing such controls, as using GPS check-ins are not always 100% reliable. Presumably the negative user experience would have prevented Foursquare from building a large number of users at the speed it has achieved so far. One blog entry from Foursquare commenting on the matter read, “Since last summer, this has been one of our most requested features and has been one of the trickiest to get just right.”

What’s also noticeable is how Foursquare’s gradual evolution compares to the strategy of rival firm Gowalla, which used a similar verification method since launch – but to its detriment.

Although Gowalla has won many plaudits for its polished presentation from those in the blogosphere, there is also a notable level of frustration from potential users who are unable to check-in to their venues. This can’t have helped in terms of growing a user base.

While the issue of Foursqure users falsely checking-in to venues and claiming credits (mainly to show off to their friends) was formerly no big deal, now that there are brands on board and  money is on the table, this extra level of transparency is required  to make sure the brands are investing in quality relationships.