Meet the modern-day Frank and Jesse James.
But rather than robbing stagecoaches, brothers Maksym and Denys Pashanin are allegedly preying on proponents of the feel-good “sharing economy.”
In a bizarre tale that is raising fresh questions about the risks of renting one’s own car or home, the Pashanin brothers are being blasted as “squatters” by their Palm Springs, Calif., Airbnb host — and as “scammers” by members of crowdsourcing site Kickstarter.
Their alleged antics, including raising tens of thousands of dollars on Kickstarter for projects they have yet to show progress on, have raised questions about the risks of platforms that increasingly make it easier for regular folks to sell things to strangers.
The trouble started in early July when Cory Tschogl, 39, was unable to collect fees due from the Airbnb renters who had asked to occupy her one-bedroom condo in a gated community in Palm Springs for 44 days, through July 8.
When Tschogl, a therapist, threatened to turn off the electricity for nonpayment, she was threatened with legal action — among the brothers’ allegations is that her tap water damaged their fancy espresso machine — she told the San Francisco Chronicle, which first reported on the Airbnb “nightmare.”
Under California laws, people who rent a home for 30 days are protected as tenants and have to be forcibly evicted, a process that could take months.
Meanwhile, the guests that won’t leave are being blasted by members of Kickstarter over more than $41,000 for two video games they have promised to develop through their gaming company, Kilobite Inc.
The [Pashanin brothers’] first game, “Confederate Express” failed to meet certain June delivery expectations despite raising close to $40,000 last year. The other game, “Knuckle Club,” continues to rack up the donations despite cries for Kickstarter to shutter the project.
The first game, “Confederate Express” failed to meet certain June delivery expectations despite raising close to $40,000 last year. The other game, “Knuckle Club,” continues to rack up the donations despite cries for Kickstarter to shutter the project.
“Knuckle Club,” which is seeking $25,000, saw donations rise to more than $900 on Wednesday, up from the $700-plus range earlier in the week, even as previous backers fill up the project’s comment pages with demands for their money back.
The experience has left an ardent Kickstarter supporter feeling dismayed about the Web site.
“This should be a loud and clear wake-up call to all current and new Kickstarter users,” the angry contributor to both Kilobite projects told The Post.
“Kickstarter’s fraud prevention at best seems to be completely random,” said this person, who asked not to be identified. “And that mind-set will ultimately kill Kickstarter’s reputation.”
Kickstarter declined to comment on its plans for the Kilobite fundraising projects. Airbnb has told Tschogl that it will reimburse her for the costs of evicting her tenants.
“I’m not at all surprised,” said fraud investigator and former prosecutor Rob Seiden. “Every time new channels of commerce open up, there is a lack of regulation, and fraudsters see it as an opportunity. It’s like the Wild West,” he said.