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To tech writers: pls scrutinize @Vinpokcom They took €2,311,732 EUR by 21,405 backers via @indiegogo (denies responsibility) on Dec 17, 2018, and never delivered. Protest group http://www.facebook.com/groups/462751937754503/about/ & petition: https://www.change.org/p/indiegogo-backers-refund-or-delivery-of-vinpok-split?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_18900286_fr-FR%3Av5&recruiter=251192776&recruited_by_id=dbd5e670-c843-11e4-aecd-35d1666902f1&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=411862790404442998ebb2b9e79335eb Original offer: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/vinpok-split-best-on-the-go-touch-screen-monitor/x/917478#/
The scam was even promoted by @indiegogo in this tweet https://twitter.com/Indiegogo/status/1143914313876418560?fbclid=IwAR1pmZZjPFBNdAGoHZT664ywB4NYZMMON-iZeG7r8hrRayko-cybGds4ijY (2/2)
https://twitter.com/Indiegogo/status/1143914313876418560?fbclid=IwAR1pmZZjPFBNdAGoHZT664ywB4NYZMMON-iZeG7r8hrRayko-cybGds4ijY
Buyers filed a complaint via Hong Kong police. I accept the risk that you can buy a pig in a poke via crowdfunding platforms, but think @indiegogo has a special responsibility when they promote a scam themselves. Till now their answer is: not our problem. (3/3 end)
And here is the proof of how @indiegogo supported the @vinpok scam. They let them enroll in the "Indiegogo China Global Fast-Track Program ". " Indiegogo offers VIP Services as an added tier of hands-on support for select campaigners that are in the program." (4/4)
sorry @vinpokcom - mistyped
The company behind @vinpokcom is also the company behind @peakago which caused a similar outrage on https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/peakago-7-inch-laptop-work-fun-on-the-go/x/917478#/comments
Over 20.000 people have been scammed, including me. That's all in the game. Next up: the role of @indiegogo (5/5)
Over 20.000 people have been scammed, including me. That's all in the game. Next up: the role of @indiegogo (5/5)
Bored by my tweets about @vinpokcom? Let's focus on the crowdsourcing platform @indiegogo. It's a well-known fact the risk of financing new products is that you don't get them. Won't nag about that. But what happened behind the scenes between @indiegogo and @vinpokcom? (6/6)
Here's what happened, I found out just now. @Indiegogo was actively working together with the scamming firm. They performed competitive analysis and user testing to distill what gave Vinpok a competitive advantage and developed a brand philosophy - all done by @Indiegogo (7/7)
With the help of VIP Services of @indiegogo, the product was put prominently on the Indiegogo homepage and in newsletters, giving them widespread exposure to the global Indiegogo community. The scammer, @vinpokcom, paid for this a between 10.000 and 50.000 USD. (8/8)
CEO Brian Gao, now not speaking to anyone, confirmed that: "We worked with Indiegogo to promote the Vinpok Split campaign to a point where it received a lot of positive feedback and also a lot of funds.” "Indiegogo’s professional skills and teamwork impressed me a lot. " (9/9)
There you have it, over 20.000 people lost money on the product, aggressively pushed by @indiegogo who earned additional money with "Indiegogo China Fast-Track Program" and ignores complaints. I was not able to interest any tech website for this story (10/10)
This case goes beyond the normal routine of people scammed via crowdsourcing. The platform, @Indiegogo, was not neutral. They performed competitive analysis and user testing to give the scammer a competitive advantage. Would love to see a tech reporter write about this (11/11)
Do I have a blind spot here? I really don't get this. This thread about @indiegogo should be interesting for tech reporters, but till now, no one reported about this. So I decided to start the investigation myself, in public. This is what I asked Indiegogo a moment ago (12/12)
