Troll creates fake Shenmue 3 Indiegogo campaign
UPDATE: Pulled. Well done everyone.
UPDATE: And it's gone. Ryan Nets has pulled his fake Shenmue 3 Indiegogo campaign. Well done everyone!
ORIGINAL STORY: The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter looks set to break records. The fake Shenmue 3 Indiegogo campaign, probably not.
Someone calling himself "Ryan Nets" created a Shenmue 3 campaign on Indiegogo that rips off the Kickstarter campaign that has already raised an incredible $2.8m.
It's a word for word, image for image copy and paste job - except it embeds a YouTube video of the moment the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter was announced during Sony's press conference, rather than the video embedded within the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter page, and there's an additional line at the bottom: "Help make it happen for Shenmue 3 and Ryan Nets!"
But the dangerous part is you can contribute. And the campaign will receive all funds even if its $1.5m target isn't raised. Obviously, you shouldn't give him any money.
So who's this Ryan Nets chap? Well, the Shemmue 3 Indiegogo campaign's location is listed as Osaka, Japan, but that seems unlikely. He had created two campaigns before Shenmue 3: one for something called The Poster Shop, and another, failed campaign titled "Help william shatner to fund the $30 billlion pipe" [sic]. Both of those campaigns' location is down as Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Is Nets out to defraud the internet? Maybe, maybe not. He's just created another Indiegogo campaign titled "LETS TROLL THE INTERNET" [sic], so perhaps it's all some kind of joke.
"How much can we raise for no cause," he asks.
"Lets Troll the internet and see how much money we can raise for jokes :) :) :) a dollar would be a fun start."
His troll campaign is after half a million dollars.
Nets' Shenmue 3 campaign is, obviously, in breach of Indiegogo's terms and conditions, which prohibit campaigns that are created to "raise funds for illegal activities, to cause harm to people or property, or to scam others".
Here's more from the terms: "If the Campaign is claiming to do the impossible or it's just plain phony, don't post it. Users must comply with all applicable laws and regulations in connection with their Campaigns, including offering Perks and using Contributions. Campaign Owners shall not make any false or misleading statements in connection with their Campaigns."
While it will be obvious to most that Nets' Shenmue 3 isn't legit, some may be fooled (he has the "email verified" badge, but not the "identity verified" badge, which would indicate he'd been verified by Indiegogo's "Trust and Safety team"). We've asked Indiegogo for comment, but it operates on San Francisco time, so it may be some time before this scam can be addressed.
It seems Nets' time on Indiegogo will soon be over, as will his Shenmue 3 campaign. In the meantime, don't pledge. There's a genuine Shenmue 3 Kickstarter for that.
