- Report: #1336099
Complaint Review: IdealFuture Inc - Internet
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IdealFuture Inc
Internet, USA
Web:
http://idealfuture.com/
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IdealFuture, Inc, Jeffrey Batio, Bridget Hogan Indiegogo Crowdfunding Fraud/Scam Internet
IdealFuture, operated by Jeffrey Batio and Bridget Hogan, have executed one of the largest crowdfunding scams since the inception of sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc. Starting in late 2014, Jeffrey Batio and his company, IdealFuture, Inc., launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the "Dragonfly Futurfon". This product was supposed to be a laptop, tablet, phone all-in-one, comprising of two tablet-like devices which could be used independently or connected to be used as a joint display, connecting to a foldable keyboard for writing input.
While a complicated and overambitious design, IdealFuture and Jeffrey Batio showed off impressive designs, computer generated renderings, "anticipated specs" for the product -- processors, cameras, accessories, etc., even estimated timelines for production. The campaign took off quickly, becoming one of the most funded products on Indiegogo's crowdfunding platform within the first 4 days of it's launch. The original goal for the campaign was $100,000. However, Mr. Batio lowered the goal to $10,000 in order to achieve the highly coveted "Fully Funded!" ranking on Indiegogo -- further promoting the product within Indiegogo's platform. Mr. Batio lowered the goal to $10,000 despite still needing over $100,000 to actually proceed with engineering and production challenges, the first sign this was a well-thoughtout scam.
Then came Bridget Hogan, the "pretty face" of IdealFuture and the Dragonfly Futurfon. Bridget began appearing in product videos, announced numerous updates about advancements in engineering or production, etc. At this time, Jeffrey Batio was still active within the Indiegogo platform, responding to users and answering questions.
The scariest part begins now. After receiving tremendous success via the Indiegogo platform, exceeding over $725,000 in contributions from over 4,200 crowdfunding backers, IdealFuture, Jeffrey Batio, and Bridget Hogan launched their "BTP" Beta Testing Program. This prompted contributers of the campaign to sign up with their personal information (name, email, home address, phone number, etc) to receive a "beta device". Needless to say, no one ever receieved a beta device.
I will allow the general public to read their Indiegogo page (indiegogo.com/projects/the-dragonfly-futurefon--3/x/5909124#/updates) to see the full level of disception and misleading information which was presented by IdealFuture, Jeffrey Batio, and Bridget Hogan over the last two plus years. They have successfully stolen over $700,000 from over 4,200 people.
Beware! Jeffrey Batio still operates this scam via idealfuture.com, and still offers people the opportunity to purchase his never-to-be-produced product, while charging 200% more than what he charged his original Indiegogo backers!
Multiple contributors have already contacted the National Fraud League as well as the FBI cyber crime/white collar crimes division and have received responses from these agencies requesting more information. I strongly urge any and all contributors to this campaign to reach out to your local FBI office and provide them the details on this case. I also strongly urge any of the contributors to this campaign to reach out to your credit card companies/bank/Paypal who processed the charges and attempt to get them refunded. This is typically not going to happen on charges which are this old, however it is worth investigating.
