Houston Firm Ordered to Stop Fraudulent Crypto Offering

May 15
2018

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles entered an Emergency Cease and Desist Order on May 15 to stop Wind Wide Coin Inc., an entity that says it is based in Houston, from fraudulently offering investments in a cryptocurrency trading program.

The order alleges that Wind Wide Coin and three sales agents in Houston are offering for sale investments in a cryptocurrency trading program that uses an “automatic trading bot.”

The company is promising investors the combination of “no risk” and extraordinarily high returns. The purchase of 0.10 of bitcoin, for example, will return 1 bitcoin 24 hours later, a one-day return of 900%.

Wind Wide Coin’s marketing extends to a rotating sequence of celebrity and political endorsements. The company’s website has featured a photograph of Jennifer Anniston, but identified her as “Kate Jennifer,” an investor.

Similarly, a photograph of Prince Charles was identified as “Mark Robert,” another investor who provided a testimonial. The testimonial was then attributed verbatim to a “Johnson Smith,” supposedly a U.K. investor.

Wind Wide Coin represents that its Houston office is in an office building at 5015 Mitchelldale, 77082. There is no building of any kind at that location.

For more information on the Texas State Securities Board's leading role in policing investments tied to cryptocurrencies, read the recent TSSB Investor Alert, Widespread Fraud Found in Cryptocurrency Offerings.According to the order, Wind Wide Coin is misleading potential investors by claiming it is a “licensed company” and “legally registered.” Neither the company nor the sales agents named in the order are registered to sell securities in Texas.

Wind Wide Coin is touting the success of its trading bot, but it also is providing information that returns paid to investors are tied to the principal deposit, not the success in trading cryptocurrencies.

The company offers different levels of investment, starting with “Baby” and moving up to “Standard,” “Premium,” “X-Boost” and “Ultimate.”

The “X-Boost” plan, according to information on the company’s website, requires a minimum investment of 1 bitcoin and returns 4 bitcoin to the investor in four days. The price of 1 bitcoin was $8,688.47 at the close of trading May 14.

Wind Wide Coin is providing no material information about how its trading bot operates or the background of its principals and trading professionals.

Nor is Wind Wide Coin disclosing to investors the numerous regulatory and market risks in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies investing.