FTC report no.

152113429

September 28, 2022

Federal Trade Commission

To whom it may concern:

This is to request that your office investigate the following companies for “bait and switch” false
advertising that cheated me (and likely others) out of a promised premium for donating to a
crowdfunding campaign hosted by Indiegogo, Inc.

Indiegogo, Inc.
965 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(source)

ExtraLife
728 East 136 Street
Bronx, NY 10454
(source)

Lifewand Ltd
CTG Building
Ha Yarden St
Ein-Vered, Israel 4069600
(source)

Further, based on the following information, Indiegogo permits fundraisers to alter the terms of their
fundraising pleas in mid-campaign – a violation of the company’s own terms of service - thereby
creating endless opportunities for fundraisers to mislead donors.

On July 16, 2019, I contributed $2 to an online fundraising solicitation hosted by Indiegogo. The
money was solicited by ExtraLife and Lifewand Ltd. to develop and market a so-called “anti-choking
device” called a lifewand. (Lower case spelling is accurate.)
With my highlighting, this is a screenshot I took of Indiegogo’s lifewand fundraising page on July 16,
2019, the date I made my contribution:

Sometime thereafter, the “every backer will get a lifewand” offer was deleted without notice.

Click here for the current version of the Indiegogo solicitation which raised $112,117 from 915 backers.

Here’s a screenshot I took today from the Indiegogo crowdfunding site with my highlighting:
It’s one of 29 such “updates” posted by ExtraLife signed “lifewand team” since their crowdfunding
campaign ended. Most of the “updates” are vague assurances of product developments.

For example, here’s the most recent:

What’s the name of the company conducting the alleged quality assurance? What’s the name of the
company that allegedly will be producing the device? Without that information, it’s impossible to
determine if the claims are bona fide or posted to placate donors.

Therefore, this is to request that your office obtain that information and any other information to
determine if the claims are truthful.

Further, this is to request that your office obtain a complete financial accounting for the $112,117
donated to the campaign by me and the other 914 backers.

As it happens, the above yellow-highlighted sentence about the current shipping address was of
interest to me because I want the lifewand I was promised when I made my contribution.

Per the attached pages which consist of my recent correspondence with Indiegogo and ExtraLife, I
made best efforts to attempt to make them comply with the (now-disappeared) assurance that “every
backer will get a lifewand.”
First, Indiegogo customer service agent “Jeff” confirmed that I am indeed a “backer” of the lifewand
campaign.

In response to my attempt to obtain the lifewand I was promised, in an August 4 email, “Jeff” steered
me to Yaron Leifenberg at ExtraLife. On August 12 and 19, I sent Mr. Leifenberg two emails (on which
I copied Indiegogo CEO Becky Center).

I didn’t receive a reply, so in August 29 and September 8 emails to Ms. Center, I brought my concerns
to her. I explained the situation and also pointed out that changing the terms of a fundraising
solicitation violates her company’s policy. From Indiegogo’s web page, What You Can & Can't Edit
After Your Campaign Is Live:

After you launch your campaign, edits cannot be made to the following fields:

...Any Perks that have been claimed by a Backer

With that in mind, I sent these questions to Ms. Center:

A. By deleting the "every backer will get a lifewand assurance," it appears the lifewand
campaign violated that agreement. Does your company intend to address that apparent
violation? If so, how?

B. I presume you have access to the now-deleted version of the lifewand campaign that
included the "every backer will get a lifewand" assurance. What's the start and end date when
that assurance was made to backers? Does your company intend to take any action to ensure
that I and others who donated during that period will receive the lifewands we were promised?

I didn’t receive a reply from her either, hence this investigation request to your office. This is to
request that your office obtain answers to the questions I asked Ms. Center.

Further, since ExtraLife was able to change the terms of their fundraiser in mid-campaign without any
apparent recourse, it stands to reason that other Indiegogo fundraising campaigns have done so and
perhaps bilked other donors.

It also stands to reason that Indiegogo’s platform could “lock in” every fundraising campaign when
they’re posted, thereby prohibiting fundraisers from changing their terms. By failing to do so,
Indiegogo is providing a platform for potential fraudsters to cheat the public while their company
collects substantial fees for the opportunity. Does that amount to collusion?

I’d appreciate your office looking into that along with my other concerns and taking appropriate
action.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Peter M. Heimlich
STREET ADDRESS REDACTED
Peachtree Corners, GA 30096 USA
ph: (678)322-7984
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/medfraud_pmh
bio: http://tinyurl.com/ych7o7drc
DIVIDER
September 28, 2022

Attn: Public Inquiry Unit

To whom it may concern:

This is to request that your office investigate the following companies for “bait and switch” false
advertising that cheated me (and likely others) out of a promised premium for donating to a
crowdfunding campaign hosted by Indiegogo, Inc.

Indiegogo, Inc.
965 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(source)

ExtraLife
728 East 136 Street
Bronx, NY 10454
(source)

Lifewand Ltd
CTG Building
Ha Yarden St
Ein-Vered, Israel 4069600
(source)

Further, based on the following information, Indiegogo permits fundraisers to alter the terms of their
fundraising pleas in mid-campaign – a violation of the company’s own terms of service - thereby
creating endless opportunities for fundraisers to mislead donors.

On July 16, 2019, I contributed $2 to an online fundraising solicitation hosted by Indiegogo. The
money was solicited by ExtraLife and Lifewand Ltd. to develop and market a so-called “anti-choking
device” called a lifewand. (Lower case spelling is accurate.)
With my highlighting, this is a screenshot I took of Indiegogo’s lifewand fundraising page on July 16,
2019, the date I made my contribution:

Sometime thereafter, the “every backer will get a lifewand” offer was deleted without notice.

Click here for the current version of the Indiegogo solicitation which raised $112,117 from 915 backers.

Here’s a screenshot I took today from the Indiegogo crowdfunding site with my highlighting:
It’s one of 29 such “updates” posted by ExtraLife signed “lifewand team” since their crowdfunding
campaign ended. Most of the “updates” are vague assurances of product developments.

For example, here’s the most recent:

What’s the name of the company conducting the alleged quality assurance? What’s the name of the
company that allegedly will be producing the device? Without that information, it’s impossible to
determine if the claims are bona fide or posted to placate donors.

Therefore, this is to request that your office obtain that information and any other information to
determine if the claims are truthful.

Further, this is to request that your office obtain a complete financial accounting for the $112,117
donated to the campaign by me and the other 914 backers.

As it happens, the above yellow-highlighted sentence about the current shipping address was of
interest to me because I want the lifewand I was promised when I made my contribution.

Per the attached pages which consist of my recent correspondence with Indiegogo and ExtraLife, I
made best efforts to attempt to make them comply with the (now-disappeared) assurance that “every
backer will get a lifewand.”
First, Indiegogo customer service agent “Jeff” confirmed that I am indeed a “backer” of the lifewand
campaign.

In response to my attempt to obtain the lifewand I was promised, in an August 4 email, “Jeff” steered
me to Yaron Leifenberg at ExtraLife. On August 12 and 19, I sent Mr. Leifenberg two emails (on which
I copied Indiegogo CEO Becky Center).

I didn’t receive a reply, so in August 29 and September 8 emails to Ms. Center, I brought my concerns
to her. I explained the situation and also pointed out that changing the terms of a fundraising
solicitation violates her company’s policy. From Indiegogo’s web page, What You Can & Can't Edit
After Your Campaign Is Live:

After you launch your campaign, edits cannot be made to the following fields:

...Any Perks that have been claimed by a Backer

With that in mind, I sent these questions to Ms. Center:

A. By deleting the "every backer will get a lifewand assurance," it appears the lifewand
campaign violated that agreement. Does your company intend to address that apparent
violation? If so, how?

B. I presume you have access to the now-deleted version of the lifewand campaign that
included the "every backer will get a lifewand" assurance. What's the start and end date when
that assurance was made to backers? Does your company intend to take any action to ensure
that I and others who donated during that period will receive the lifewands we were promised?

I didn’t receive a reply from her either, hence this investigation request to your office. This is to
request that your office obtain answers to the questions I asked Ms. Center.

Further, since ExtraLife was able to change the terms of their fundraiser in mid-campaign without any
apparent recourse, it stands to reason that other Indiegogo fundraising campaigns have done so and
perhaps bilked other donors.

It also stands to reason that Indiegogo’s platform could “lock in” every fundraising campaign when
they’re posted, thereby prohibiting fundraisers from changing their terms. By failing to do so,
Indiegogo is providing a platform for potential fraudsters to cheat the public while their company
collects substantial fees for the opportunity. Does that amount to collusion?

I’d appreciate your office looking into that along with my other concerns and taking appropriate
action.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Peter M. Heimlich
STREET ADDRESS REDACTED
Peachtree Corners, GA 30096 USA
ph: (678)322-7984
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/medfraud_pmh
bio: http://tinyurl.com/ych7o7drc
DIVIDER
September 28, 2022

Office of the Attorney General

To whom it may concern:

This is to request that your office investigate the following companies for “bait and switch” false
advertising that cheated me (and likely others) out of a promised premium for donating to a
crowdfunding campaign hosted by Indiegogo, Inc.

Indiegogo, Inc.
965 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(source)

ExtraLife
728 East 136 Street
Bronx, NY 10454
(source)

Lifewand Ltd
CTG Building
Ha Yarden St
Ein-Vered, Israel 4069600
(source)

Further, based on the following information, Indiegogo permits fundraisers to alter the terms of their
fundraising pleas in mid-campaign – a violation of the company’s own terms of service - thereby
creating endless opportunities for fundraisers to mislead donors.

On July 16, 2019, I contributed $2 to an online fundraising solicitation hosted by Indiegogo. The
money was solicited by ExtraLife and Lifewand Ltd. to develop and market a so-called “anti-choking
device” called a lifewand. (Lower case spelling is accurate.)
With my highlighting, this is a screenshot I took of Indiegogo’s lifewand fundraising page on July 16,
2019, the date I made my contribution:

Sometime thereafter, the “every backer will get a lifewand” offer was deleted without notice.

Click here for the current version of the Indiegogo solicitation which raised $112,117 from 915 backers.

Here’s a screenshot I took today from the Indiegogo crowdfunding site with my highlighting:
It’s one of 29 such “updates” posted by ExtraLife signed “lifewand team” since their crowdfunding
campaign ended. Most of the “updates” are vague assurances of product developments.

For example, here’s the most recent:

What’s the name of the company conducting the alleged quality assurance? What’s the name of the
company that allegedly will be producing the device? Without that information, it’s impossible to
determine if the claims are bona fide or posted to placate donors.

Therefore, this is to request that your office obtain that information and any other information to
determine if the claims are truthful.

Further, this is to request that your office obtain a complete financial accounting for the $112,117
donated to the campaign by me and the other 914 backers.

As it happens, the above yellow-highlighted sentence about the current shipping address was of
interest to me because I want the lifewand I was promised when I made my contribution.

Per the attached pages which consist of my recent correspondence with Indiegogo and ExtraLife, I
made best efforts to attempt to make them comply with the (now-disappeared) assurance that “every
backer will get a lifewand.”
First, Indiegogo customer service agent “Jeff” confirmed that I am indeed a “backer” of the lifewand
campaign.

In response to my attempt to obtain the lifewand I was promised, in an August 4 email, “Jeff” steered
me to Yaron Leifenberg at ExtraLife. On August 12 and 19, I sent Mr. Leifenberg two emails (on which
I copied Indiegogo CEO Becky Center).

I didn’t receive a reply, so in August 29 and September 8 emails to Ms. Center, I brought my concerns
to her. I explained the situation and also pointed out that changing the terms of a fundraising
solicitation violates her company’s policy. From Indiegogo’s web page, What You Can & Can't Edit
After Your Campaign Is Live:

After you launch your campaign, edits cannot be made to the following fields:

...Any Perks that have been claimed by a Backer

With that in mind, I sent these questions to Ms. Center:

A. By deleting the "every backer will get a lifewand assurance," it appears the lifewand
campaign violated that agreement. Does your company intend to address that apparent
violation? If so, how?

B. I presume you have access to the now-deleted version of the lifewand campaign that
included the "every backer will get a lifewand" assurance. What's the start and end date when
that assurance was made to backers? Does your company intend to take any action to ensure
that I and others who donated during that period will receive the lifewands we were promised?

I didn’t receive a reply from her either, hence this investigation request to your office. This is to
request that your office obtain answers to the questions I asked Ms. Center.

Further, since ExtraLife was able to change the terms of their fundraiser in mid-campaign without any
apparent recourse, it stands to reason that other Indiegogo fundraising campaigns have done so and
perhaps bilked other donors.

It also stands to reason that Indiegogo’s platform could “lock in” every fundraising campaign when
they’re posted, thereby prohibiting fundraisers from changing their terms. By failing to do so,
Indiegogo is providing a platform for potential fraudsters to cheat the public while their company
collects substantial fees for the opportunity. Does that amount to collusion?

I’d appreciate your office looking into that along with my other concerns and taking appropriate
action.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Peter M. Heimlich
STREET ADDRESS REDACTED
Peachtree Corners, GA 30096 USA
ph: (678)322-7984
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/medfraud_pmh
bio: http://tinyurl.com/ych7o7drc
DIVIDER
FAXED TO (404)651-9018

October 5, 2022

Office of the Attorney General

To whom it may concern:

A pdf of this complaint with live links may be found at https://bityl.co/EtsF

This is to request that your office investigate the following companies for “bait and switch” false
advertising that cheated me (and likely others) out of a promised premium for donating to a
crowdfunding campaign hosted by Indiegogo, Inc.

Lifewand Ltd
CTG Building
Ha Yarden St
Ein-Vered, Israel 4069600
(source)

Indiegogo, Inc.
965 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(source)

ExtraLife
728 East 136 Street
Bronx, NY 10454
(source)

Further, based on the following information, Indiegogo permits fundraisers to alter the terms of their
fundraising pleas in mid-campaign – a violation of the company’s own terms of service - thereby
creating endless opportunities for fundraisers to mislead donors.

On July 16, 2019, I contributed $2 to an online fundraising solicitation hosted by Indiegogo. The
money was solicited by ExtraLife and Lifewand Ltd. to develop and market a so-called “anti-choking
device” called a lifewand. (Lower case spelling is accurate.)
With my highlighting, this is a screenshot I took of Indiegogo’s lifewand fundraising page on July 16,
2019, the date I made my contribution:

Sometime thereafter, the “every backer will get a lifewand” offer was deleted without notice.

Click here for the current version of the Indiegogo solicitation which raised $112,117 from 915 backers.

Here’s a screenshot I took today from the Indiegogo crowdfunding site with my highlighting:
It’s one of 29 such “updates” posted by ExtraLife signed “lifewand team” since their crowdfunding
campaign ended. Most of the “updates” are vague assurances of product developments.

For example, here’s the most recent:

What’s the name of the company conducting the alleged quality assurance? What’s the name of the
company that allegedly will be producing the device? Without that information, it’s impossible to
determine if the claims are bona fide or posted to placate donors.

Therefore, this is to request that your office obtain that information and any other information to
determine if the claims are truthful.

Further, this is to request that your office obtain a complete financial accounting for the $112,117
donated to the campaign by me and the other 914 backers.

As it happens, the above yellow-highlighted sentence about the current shipping address was of
interest to me because I want the lifewand I was promised when I made my contribution.

Per the attached pages which consist of my recent correspondence with Indiegogo and ExtraLife, I
made best efforts to attempt to make them comply with the (now-disappeared) assurance that “every
backer will get a lifewand.”
First, Indiegogo customer service agent “Jeff” confirmed that I am indeed a “backer” of the lifewand
campaign.

In response to my attempt to obtain the lifewand I was promised, in an August 4 email, “Jeff” steered
me to Yaron Leifenberg at ExtraLife. On August 12 and 19, I sent Mr. Leifenberg two emails (on which
I copied Indiegogo CEO Becky Center).

I didn’t receive a reply, so in August 29 and September 8 emails to Ms. Center, I brought my concerns
to her. I explained the situation and also pointed out that changing the terms of a fundraising
solicitation violates her company’s policy. From Indiegogo’s web page, What You Can & Can't Edit
After Your Campaign Is Live:

After you launch your campaign, edits cannot be made to the following fields:

...Any Perks that have been claimed by a Backer

With that in mind, I sent these questions to Ms. Center:

A. By deleting the "every backer will get a lifewand assurance," it appears the lifewand
campaign violated that agreement. Does your company intend to address that apparent
violation? If so, how?

B. I presume you have access to the now-deleted version of the lifewand campaign that
included the "every backer will get a lifewand" assurance. What's the start and end date when
that assurance was made to backers? Does your company intend to take any action to ensure
that I and others who donated during that period will receive the lifewands we were promised?

I didn’t receive a reply from her either, hence this investigation request to your office. This is to
request that your office obtain answers to the questions I asked Ms. Center.

Further, since ExtraLife was able to change the terms of their fundraiser in mid-campaign without any
apparent recourse, it stands to reason that other Indiegogo fundraising campaigns have done so and
perhaps bilked other donors.

It also stands to reason that Indiegogo’s platform could “lock in” every fundraising campaign when
they’re posted, thereby prohibiting fundraisers from changing their terms. By failing to do so,
Indiegogo is providing a platform for potential fraudsters to cheat the public while their company
collects substantial fees for the opportunity. Does that amount to collusion?

I’d appreciate your office looking into that along with my other concerns and taking appropriate
action.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Peter M. Heimlich
STREET ADDRESS REDACTED
Peachtree Corners, GA 30096 USA
ph: (678)322-7984
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/medfraud_pmh
bio: http://tinyurl.com/ych7o7drc