Found this reddit link through some comments on the projects
http://www.reddit.com/r/kickstarter/comments/1oboud/warning_beware_of_fraudulent_kickstarter_projects/
Here is an excerpt
This post is part warning, part a request for suggestions.
For a variety of reasons, some projects will end up failing. I understand this completely and have no problem pledging to a project that ends up failing - as long as the creator did his/her best to make it happen. But this warning isn't about that. This warning is about out and out fraud. This warning is about project creators who have no intention of delivering on their promises or of even making an effort.
Enter one John M. Slabyk of Buffalo, NY. Mr. Slabyk claims to be the former Art Director for Barack Obama's campaign and is known for creating the Obama logo (famously known for it according to his own words). Mr. Slabyk kicked off the Founders Playing Cards project on Kickstarter (see link below) in February 2013. The project was fully funded March 13th 2013. He raised $37,000.
Founder's Playing Cards
Delivery was scheduled for July. July 24th was his last cryptic update telling backers that the cards, coins, and t-shirts were being finished. The playing cards were advertised as being printed by the USPCC (The US Playing Card Company). The USPCC has no record of John Slabyk or his designs. After the message on July 24th, there was nothing. Zero contact.
There have been over 300 posted comments to John's project page trying to get information. No response. Attempts have been made to contact him through Facebook, Linkedin, and every other social media/email associated with him, or his name. No response. Attempts have been made to contact him via friends and family members. No response. His Kickstarter account logs in occasionally and this is his only project, so we know he has seen all the requests, pleas, and comments associated with his account. Still nothing. No response. The day after funding his Wiki page was deleted. Other methods of contact for Mr. Slabyk have since been deleted as well.
The $37,092 in amazon payments went to his brother Greg Slabyk, so Greg is involved as well. Attempts to contact Greg have been equally fruitless. Multiple internet fraud reports have been filed with IC3.gov, various DAs and Attorneys General, and the FBI. This message is starting to be delivered to news outlets, but no one has taken it up as a story so far. It has been months since anyone has heard from John and there is no sign of what he did with the money. One thing seems very clear; he thought he could walk away with $37,000 and eventually people would forget about it.
Kickstarter doesn't seem to care even a little bit. You would think they would care, as things like this directly influence whether people donate in the future, but no. Although Kickstarter has tried to contact John as well (surprise - they haven't received a response either), their official position is that all projects have an element of risk involved and that Kickstarter bears no responsibility if someone uses Kickstarter to defraud others. Note that Kickstarter gets 5% of the haul. In the case of the Founder's Playing Card Fraud, Kickstarter reaped some $1,850.
In the grand scheme of things, this isn't really that big of a deal. The $20-$30 contributed by the average person isn't going to break their bank. It's not about that money, it's about the principle and about holding the thief accountable. Check that. It's about holding the thieves accountable. In cases like this, since Kickstarter directly profited from this, I consider Kickstarter to be guilty as well. Kickstarter helped another to steal money and got their percentage.
So for the warning, do your own due diligence when backing projects. Ask a lot of questions before the project funding ends. If you don't get satisfactory answers before they get the money, you're not likely to get answers after they get the money. And realize that Kickstarter will not help you AT ALL if there are any problems. You and the rest of the backers will be completely on your own.
If anyone has any suggestions about what else can be done on how to track down this deadbeat, hold him up by his ankles and shake until the $37k comes out of his pockets, every backer of that project would be grateful. There is a lot more information in the comments section of the project for anyone interested.
Statistics: Posted by badpete69 — Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:51 pm