How to prevent users from creating multiple accounts to boost their ranking in a competitive...

I’m building a web app that tracks dart tournament scores and player rankings. I already have:

• Email verification on signup

• An ELO-based ranking system, where winning against a much lower-ranked opponent grants very few points

• Plans to add a limit on the number of matches a user can play per week

Despite this, I’m concerned about users creating multiple accounts to play against themselves and boost their main profile.

What are some effective strategies, technical or logical, to detect or prevent this behavior? I’m using Node.js/Express with MongoDB and standard email/password authentication.

I’m especially looking for advice on:

• Detecting suspicious match patterns (e.g. same opponents, repeated games, one-sided win history)

• Tracking users via IP, browser fingerprinting, or other device-level identifiers

• Other anti-boosting techniques you’ve used or seen in similar systems

Any suggestions or examples would be greatly appreciated.

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