Investigators are not needed.

All that is needed is common sense.

Simply take a look at the project you're interested in, and judge by yourself if its done in a professional maner, it isnt a rip-off.

Look at what they have to offer, what do they present, and how do they do it.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1294225970/kingdom-come-deliverance
Take a look at this one. Does this look like a con to you ;] ?

Also, you can always google the devs if you know nothing about them.

A lot of these projects are made by proper studios who used to make publisher funded games - take a look at Obsidian Entertainment - the developers of eg. Fallout New Vegas.
Here's their KS: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity

Of course, some projects are made by small teams which arent well known, but as I said, all that is needed is common sense.

Last thing: as others said, Kickstarter is not a shop, its a crowdfunding site. The project gets completed: great! If it doesnt, it may be either because it was a con (which is quite unlikely, especially if you bothered at least to take a deeper look at the KS and use your head), or the money they gathered wasnt sufficient / was improperly managed - which might happen.

Lets go back to the basics: why would anyone use Kickstarter? Well, to see something get done, that probably would be impossible otherwise.
Not to buy a game. You buy a game in a shop, a game that has already been made. Its pretty obvious that the development may take various turns - thats true to every investment, every development, be it a game, or constructing a flat.

And since it is not a shop, you're not buying the game. Since you're not buying it, you cant expect to get a refund.

You're funding its creation, getting whatever bonuses your pledge applies to when it gets done.


So, still, I encourage you to use it if you find something you like, that you'd really like to see. Its nothing 'obligatory'.

I've backed Project Eternity (Pillars of Eternity) and Torment Tides of Numenera (made a pledge that also gets me Wasteland 2) because its great to see this approach to RPGs get resurrected, and I know that these games would never happen without Kickstarter.

Let's try to make it simple: Exactly. You're not buying a game, you're taking over the role of a traditional publisher. And in the same way that a publisher has to deal with risks and failed projects, Kickstarter backers have to do too.

I'm a games publisher then ? Wow, I never realised I was that important ! Well, that's convinced me then !