"The video is out. The shipments are not sent yet. SmartMaker facebook page disappears. Harold only updates with stupid excuses… What kind of campaign is this?"
A few hours ago, a disillusioned backer from Spain expresses his frustration with the neverending smARtMAKER swindle that has left over 16,000 trusting backers flapping in the wind.
Relevant concepts re: #smartmaker #borderlesselectronics #bemaker:
Astroturfing: deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign under the pretense of unsolicited comments from members of the public
Internet Water Army: individuals paid for posting comments, able to “flood” the internet with comments, information, etc for whoever is willing to pay - Use of paid posters to deceptively steer the group will ultimately negatively impact communities such as Open Source and crowd funding by destroying the foundation they were built on, trust.
Cyberbullying: communications that seek to intimidate, control, manipulate, putdown, falsely discredit or humiliate recipient. The actions are deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour intended to harm another, including posting or distributing libelous or harassing messages.In 2009, after a 3 year-long investigation into tactics such as astroturfing, the FTC imposed new rules including fines of up to $11,000 per alleged rule violation; requiring anyone writing about products or services to disclose any financial connection with the sellers, including “payment in kind” - These rules also apply to PR and AD agencies.
Deceptive Marketing: Three basic elements
- Did they say something, leave something out or do something that is likely to mislead the consumer?
- FTC looks from the perspective of the consumer (group) acting reasonably in the circumstance.
- Would the consumer make a different decision if not for the deception (whatever they said, didn't say or left out )
So all bullshit and compensated backers aside; The basic question is: Would you have made a different buying decision had Dimitri Albino’s bio read:
In 1997, he created multiple online profiles defining himself as a distributor/wholesaler of computers, cell phone parts, cameras and memory cards from China. He also started to sell many products on eBay, although delivery did not always happen.
In 1999, he moved to the JRC (Joint Research Center) of the European Commission where he managed and configured the Internet for 1 year.
With the entrepreneurial spirit growing, he created a host of overlapping internet sites offering services including but not limited to targeted email marketing, dot-com web hosting, work from home portals, illegal movie and music downloads, porn and innovative marketing methods. Proudly self-proclaimed as the best in Italy, Dimitri Albino leveraged his resources to create a rich portfolio of work for the many websites (he owned).
Riding on his success and partnering with the founder and webmaster of the most famous and talked about websites in all of Italy, Bruzzi.com (an internet portal famous for porn and illegal downloads) - Gekolab was founded.
Gekolab, a media agency active in the creation of internet services and payment instruments; connecting a team able to weave together multiple websites specializing in 3rd party billing direct to LEC’s (phone bill), VOIP, internet marketing and web portals to dubious and questionable content.
Not wanting to limit his options, he created an online presence establishing himself as a manufacturer of plastic, chemical, petroleum products, wholesale fuels, telecommunications and scientific and technical services as a ship owner/operator and bunker broker in Italy, Alma Petroli.
In 2010, 525 companies were monitored for a year by regulatory officials for compliance with new tax code, Alma Petroli was 1 of 5 found guilty and subjected to heavy fines.
***You want your money back and Dimitri Albino, Harold Timmis and company held accountable?
All of the information presented above is correct and accurate based on the research and data I have collected spanning from 1996 to current. Document Archive
Click here for the latest posts
Click here for the latest posts