Kickstarter is not in some bizzarro pocket universe where the normal protections against fraud don't apply.
If someone truly takes the money and runs, that's a criminal offense. Kickstarter doesn't need special policies to make it so, and I'm sure they'd cooperate with a criminal investigation. I think they've even said as much!
I'm not sure it's fraud per se. Kickstarter seems like a way of monetizing up-votes. They have various sized up-arrows that are tied to a bucket of electronic chits over a PayPal. I sometimes wonder if people back projects with the same forethought they bring to up voting a good story.
Jason Scott is currently heading the project along with three other members "The Board". They are doing their best to get stuff out to backers, read more about this project here: http://ascii.textfiles.com/schuyler-towne-kickstarter
You present that like it's contrary to my point, but it's not.
If legal action had been attempted and failed, that would be interesting! But here there's no indication that the matter has been brought before a court.
If someone truly takes the money and runs, that's a criminal offense. Kickstarter doesn't need special policies to make it so, and I'm sure they'd cooperate with a criminal investigation. I think they've even said as much!