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LightdropImpersonationScamAlert—HowtoVerifytheRealLightdropAgency

An active scam ring is impersonating Lightdrop, targeting Kickstarter and Indiegogo creators. Here's how to verify you're talking to the real agency.

L
Lior Ron
May 15, 2026
6 min read


If someone contacted you claiming to represent Lightdrop and something feels off, you're in the right place.

There's an active scam ring impersonating our agency, targeting independent creators on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We've heard from multiple creators over the last several weeks who were approached by people using our name, our team members' names, and fake email addresses designed to look like ours. We're publishing this page so the next person who Googles us before sending money has clear, direct answers.

If you've already lost money to someone claiming to be Lightdrop — we're sorry, and we want to help. Scroll down for next steps.

How to verify the real Lightdrop in 30 seconds

The real Lightdrop:

  • Emails only from @lightdrop.com. Never from Gmail, Outlook, Proton, or any other free email provider. If the address doesn't end in @lightdrop.com, it isn't us.

  • Has a team you can verify. Every member of our team has a real, established LinkedIn presence and is listed at lightdrop.com.

  • Operates under signed engagements. We work from real contracts with brands we've met. We don't ask for money before a written agreement exists.

  • Does not cold-contact creators through platform "referrals." Kickstarter and Indiegogo do not refer creators to outside PR or marketing firms. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying.

  • Does not accept cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wires to personal accounts. Payment to us happens through standard business invoicing.

  • Works at deal sizes meaningfully larger than what the scammers ask for. The fake "Lightdrop" typically requests a few hundred to a few thousand dollars upfront. That isn't how our engagements are priced or structured.

    • If anything you received from "Lightdrop" fails one of these checks, you weren't talking to us. You can verify in real time by emailing hello@lightdrop.com.

    What the scam looks like

    Based on what creators have shared with us, the pattern is consistent enough to be recognizable. Most of the time it goes like this:

  • A creator launches a campaign on Kickstarter or Indiegogo. The campaign may be small or early-stage — the scammers specifically target campaigns that haven't gained much traction yet.

  • The creator receives an unsolicited email from a fake "Kickstarter community team," "Indiegogo team," or similar — sent from a Gmail address. The email says the campaign has been flagged for a promotional program like "Projects We Love" and recommends a PR or marketing firm to help boost it.

  • That email refers the creator to "Lightdrop" — typically pointing to a fake address like lightdropmarketing@gmail.com or a slight variation. Sometimes the impersonator uses the name of one of our real team members in the signature.

  • The fake "Lightdrop" persona offers to promote the campaign in exchange for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars upfront — paid in cryptocurrency, gift cards, or to a wire/payment platform the creator hasn't heard of.

  • The money is sent. The scammer disappears. No promotion happens. The campaign continues to stagnate.

    • If any part of that pattern matches your experience, you were targeted by the scam — not by us.

    Red flags to watch for

    • Any email claiming to be from Lightdrop sent from a Gmail, Outlook, Proton, or other non-@lightdrop.com address

    • A claim that Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or any crowdfunding platform "referred" you to a PR firm

    • A request for upfront payment in crypto, gift cards, or to a personal account

    • High-pressure timelines ("respond in 24 hours" / "the offer expires tonight")

    • An offer that arrives unsolicited shortly after launching a campaign

    • Vague answers when you ask basic questions about the firm, the team, or the deliverables

    • A reluctance to get on a video call

    The real Lightdrop will always get on a call with you before any money changes hands.

    If you've been contacted but haven't paid yet

    Don't pay. A few quick things you can do:

  • Forward the suspicious emails to us at hello@lightdrop.com. We're tracking the scam pattern across affected creators and reporting consolidated evidence to Kickstarter and Indiegogo trust & safety. The more data we collect, the faster the platforms can act on the impersonators.

  • Report directly to the platform that hosts your campaign: Kickstarter at kickstarter.com/help/contact or Indiegogo at support.indiegogo.com.

  • Don't engage further with the scammer. Any reply — even a "no thanks" — confirms you're a live target and may put you on a list for repeat attempts.

    • If you've already lost money

    We're sorry this happened. Some things that have helped other creators:

  • Contact your payment processor immediately. Credit card and PayPal disputes have a real shot at recovery if filed quickly. Crypto is harder, but some exchanges will freeze accounts on fraud reports — contact yours directly.

  • File a report with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, if you're in the US, with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. These reports build the case that may eventually lead to prosecution — and occasionally to fund recovery for victims.

  • Forward the scammer's emails to us at hello@lightdrop.com. We add each report to the pattern we share with the platforms. Several fake accounts have already been taken down through this process.

  • Don't engage further. Once you've reported, stop responding.

    • We can't recover your money for you, but we can help make sure the scammer has a harder time targeting the next person.

    About the real Lightdrop

    Lightdrop is a Los Angeles-based marketing and growth agency, founded in 2011. We work with a curated roster of brands across consumer products, e-commerce, and emerging tech.

    We're a small team. You can verify anyone who claims to work here by checking our team page or searching LinkedIn — every Lightdrop team member has an established, traceable professional presence.

    If you want to verify anything on this page, or you're unsure whether an email you received is from us:

  • Email hello@lightdrop.com from any address — we'll respond from @lightdrop.com

  • Visit lightdrop.com for our work, team, and contact information

  • Connect with me directly on LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/lioron23

    • Thanks for being careful. The reason this scam works is that creators want help, and the scammers know that. The reason we're publishing this page is so that next time, the answer to "is this real?" takes thirty seconds instead of three thousand dollars.

    — Lior Ron, Founder & Principal, Lightdrop

    #scam alert#security#verification#crowdfunding
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