EXCLUSIVE

Chris Hansen's larceny arrest is no shocker to the people who funded his "To Catch a Predator" reboot -- they say Hansen came up short with them long before Johnny Law caught him.

The former host launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2015 to start a new show about himself catching predators. His goal was $75k and he offered tiered prizes to anyone who donated.

Some of those prizes included the custom mugs and shirts Hansen got from the vendor in Connecticut -- and allegedly tried to pay for with 2 bounced checks ... leading to his arrest this week.

As it turns, out ... he apparently failed to deliver on the goods to a handful of his donors too, many of whom are furious. Chris' Kickstarter page is flooded with comments -- dating back years -- complaining about getting partial prizes, delayed prizes, or just bupkis.

$89k had been raised.

A rep for Kickstarter told us their policy is clear -- anyone who's got issues with a fundraising campaign has to take it up with the creator, and it's ALL on the creator to make things right.

Translation: Got beef? Talk to Hansen.