PatrickPretty.com spotted a news in ShanghaiDaily that a Mr. Xu of "World Capital Market" was arrested by Chinese police for pyramid scheme in China. It appears that Phil Ming Xu of WCM777 has moved back to China and restarted his scam which collapsed in 2014 in the US. Below is a bilingual version of the news, with English version provided by me.
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index/content/2016-05/15/content_6626584.htm?node=20908
On May 27, 2015, Ms. Zhou Hua (pseudonym) who resided in Guandong, reported to the local Police Economic Crime Detachment to report that she had been defrauded. The frustrated Ms. Zhou told police that she trusted others and invested in "Wantong Miracle Social Capital Cloud Computing Platform", and not only did not get any promised profit, the 26000 investment is "gone with the wind".
It appears that Xu is indeed in custody. Whether it's *the* Phil Ming Xu, we don't know yet, but it's hard to imagine it can be any one else, as Phil Ming Xu was previously supposedly a producer in Voice of China radio, and later moved to finance as he got to know some stocks and bonds people.
http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index/content/2016-05/15/content_6626584.htm?node=20908
会员遍布28省 涉案金额数亿
Members spread across 28 provinces, amount into hundreds of millions
“万通奇迹”涉嫌非法吸存被查
Wantong Miracle suspected of illegal securities, being investigated
发布时间：2016-05-15 20:42 星期日 来源：法制日报——法制网
Posted: May 15 2016 Sunday 20:42 Source: LegalDaily.com,cn
法制网记者 李想 Reporting for LegalDaily Xiang Li
2015年5月27日，广东省肇庆市鼎湖区居民周华（化名）走进当地经侦大队报案。情绪激动的周华告诉警方，自己听信他人投资了万通奇迹社交资本云计算平台。孰料，不仅没有收到一分钱分红，连2.6万元本金也“打了水漂”。
警方顺藤摸瓜，一个披着投资原始股权理财、电子商务等新概念外衣的特大非法吸收公众存款犯罪团伙浮出水面。据调查，此案涉及万通卡会员5800余人，分布于全国28省，涉案金额达数亿元人民币。
Police followed the leads, and revealed this humongous illegal securities crime syndicate that used various new concepts such as "protoshare money management", "e-commerce" to disguise itself. Based on investigation, this crime involved over 5800 Wantong Card members, spread across 28 different provinces (in China), involving hundreds of millions in RMB.
精心包装欺骗群众
A exquisite facade to deceive the masses
据警方介绍，2014年1月，周华听信犯罪嫌疑人梁某、陈某的话，投资购买两份“万通奇迹”WCM705套装，价值1999美元，按照“万通奇迹”公布的人民币和美元6.5:1的汇率，折合人民币13000元，对应1999个电子积分。对方向周华承诺，她可以获取每天16美元的分红，可累计100次分红。
According to police, in January 2014, Ms. Zhou believed suspects Mr. Liang and Mr. Chen, and purchased two of the Wantong Miracle "WCM705" suite at cost of $1999 each. Based on the then published rate of 6.5 RMB to 1 dollar that's about 13000 RMB. This would give the investor 1999 "points". According to the then promises, she can get 16 USD every day as profit share, and can do it 100 times.
《法制日报》记者登录网页搜索“万通奇迹”，发现有不少人在网上询问投资“万通奇迹”是否靠谱。那么，“万通奇迹”到底是怎样的一家公司呢？
Legal Daily reporter searched the Internet about "Wantong Miracle", and found there were many people asking online is Wantong Miracle" legal. So what sort of company is Wantong Miracle?
5月6日，在深圳市第二看守所，记者见到了在押犯罪嫌疑人徐某。据徐某称，大学毕业后他曾在媒体做过编辑，后来转行到金融领域工作。
May 6th (2016), in Shenzhen 2nd detention center, reporter met the suspect Mr. Xu, who had been arrested. Mr. Xu claimed, after graduating from university he worked as producer in media, then transferred to finance.
据肇庆市公安局经侦支队副大队长张朝晖介绍，2013年5月，“万通奇迹”系列融资产品由某投资银行控股集团董事长徐某等人策划成立。徐某等人宣称，“万通奇迹”进行的是社交资本革命，利用互联网云服务、云计算和全球零售折扣系统，为全球客户提供资本放大。
According to Zhang Zhaohui, deputy chief, economic investigation detachment, Zhaoqing Public Security, Wantong Miracle's various products was introduced to China in May 2013, by a Mr. Xu (supposedly some "investment bank holding group CEO") and others. Xu, et al, claimed that "Wantong Miracle" is a social capital revolution, using Internet, cloud computing, and world retail discount system, to provide "capital magnification" to global customers.
巧立名目变本加厉
Fancy names, upgraded crimes
2013年年底，因“万通奇迹”系列套装承诺的分红电子积分数额急速增加，会员申请提现增速快，徐某等人为防止资金倒流，先后限制提现金额、拖延提现期限、推出“重购许可证”等方式，限制、拖延会员提现。
By the end of 2013, Wantong miracle, due to sales of all these suites previously, is bleeding cash profusely. Xu, in attempting to prevent the money from leaving the system, added various restrictions such as limiting withdrawal amounts, delayed cashout terms, introduced "repurchase permits" and other methods to limit and delay members from cashing out.
2014年3月，徐某等人以“万通奇迹”系列套装已由Global Unity财团接手，现有“万通奇迹”系列套装项目进行修改为借口，推出百人网股权置换（即电子积分兑换百人网原始股权）、国度交易所（会员之间相互买卖电子积分，即老会员可以将电子积分通过交易所平台出售给新会员后，由新会员直接汇款给老会员，变相达到提现的目的），用以消耗会员的电子积分，达到拖延会员提现时间和赚取电子积分交易手续费的目的。2014年7月，徐某等人再以引进新财团香港爱城集团有限公司，需新旧服务器转接、数据整合为借口，暂停会员提现。
In March 2014, Xu, et al, claimed that "Wantong Miracle" suites had been taken over by "Global Unity" group, and all the Wantong Suites E-Points are to be converted to "HundredNet protoshares". A trading platform is also introduced (so older members can "sell off" their points to new members, thus allowing them to cash out) in order to use up the accumulated E-Points, both to delay the members from cashing and to charge "trading fees". In July 2014, Xu, et al, again used the excuse of adding an investor group from Hong Kong AiChen ("Love City"), and need to switch servers, to suspend payouts.
2015年1月，徐某等人纠集其父徐某某、表兄汤某等人在深圳成立万怡通公司，以所谓国度金融控股集团有限公司接受原万通卡会员为名，要求原万通会员按照原账户电子积分数额X20%X6.3元，汇款至万怡通公司账户内进行爱币激活，用于将原电子积分转换为爱币，激活后相关激活款项按照原会员账户电子积分数额X20%X6元标准退还会员（每电子积分赚取0.3元激活费用），将原万通会员转换为国度会员。
In January 2015, Xu, at al, recruited Xu's father (Mr. Xu Sr.) and a cousin (Mr. Tong) to open WangYiTong in Shenzhen, China. They claimed that a "Kingdom Financial Holding Group" is willing to accept the old Wantong Point, and solicited Wantong members for additional funds "activation fee" to the rate of E-Points * 0.20 * 6.3, and the Wantong members can join the Kingdom system and get the new LoveCoins, and Kingdom will refund E-Points * 0.20 * 6. Basically the company earned 0.3 RMB per E-point to "convert" Wantong members over to Kingdom members and switch from Wantong E-Points to LoveCoins.
2015年7月至今，徐某等人合谋先后成立国度金控投资（深圳）有限公司、百人网络科技（深圳）有限公司、爱加倍化传播（深圳）有限公司等十多家无实际经营公司，通过互联网网站、微博、微信、QT语音房间、音频讲课、召开新闻发布会等多种方式宣称，国度金控集团将推出“IPL板”业务（即自行发行公司股份、认购、挂牌交易），推动该14家子公司将于3个月至24个月内挂牌上市，变本加厉、继续欺骗社会公众购买上述公司原始股权，以达到非法吸收公众存款的目的。
From July 2015 until now, Xu, et. al, established Kingdom Financial Holding, HundredNet Technology, Love Multiplies Broadcast, and a dozen other shell companies with no actual operations. They then used websites, Weibo (Chinese Twitter), SMS/WeChat, QT voice chat room, Podcasts, Press Releases, and other methods to advertise that Kingdom Financial Holding will soon go IPO, and claimed all 14 companies will IPO in the next 3 to 24 months, to deceive the public into purchasing "protoshare" securities of these shell companies.
非法吸存难逃法网
Illegal Securities Cannot Escape Justice
记者从深圳市公安局了解到，“万通奇迹”及其涉案公司不属于银行业金融机构，不具备吸收公众存款业务资质，不具备发行股票、债券业务资质，不具备开展支付结算业务资质，其推出的所谓“爱币”不属于真正意义上的货币。
The reporter at Shenzhen Public Security was able to learn that Wantong Miracle and other companies is not a financial firm or a bank, and has no license to sell securities and take in investments, not shares, not bonds, and even their "AiBi (LoveCoin)" is not a true currency.
经查， 2015年5月至9月，万怡通公司账户汇款备注为“激活金币” “激活万通卡” “购买爱币“的汇款金额1.2亿余元，赚取激活费用900余万元，按照20%激活款估算，涉案金额达数亿元人民币。
Based on investigations, from May to September 2015, Wanyitong companies received hundreds of millions of RMB to "convert" Wantong E-Points into Kingdom Points or the LoveCoins, and earned 9 million in fees. Assuming 20% conversion, the scam involved HUNDREDS of millions of RMB.
记者从肇庆市公安局经侦支队了解到，万怡通公司在收取和退还激活款过程中，涉案资金并无用于实际经营且有转移动向。而且，涉案资金余额远远无法支撑该团伙对外宣传的回报所需资金数量。
Reporter has learned from the economic investigation detachment that the funds received by Wanyitong supposedly for activation was not used in operation, and in fact, is in the process of being moved elsewhere. Furthermore, the amount of money involved is in no way sufficient to pay out the return advertised.
张朝晖说，徐某等人利用实际零出资的万怡通公司，许诺固定分红，以补偿万通卡会员现金净损失的理由，在不具备发行股票发行资质的前提下，通过微信、网站等方式，向不特定人员承诺给予不属于真正意义上的货币（爱币）补偿和虚拟股份奖励的方式给付回报的运作模式及行为，涉嫌非法吸收公众存款罪。
Zhang said that Xu, et all promised fixed profit share with the shell company Wanyitong, claimed to be "reimbursing Wantong members", promised all sorts of returns to be paid in invalid currency (LoveCoins) and protoshares, through Internet, and is being suspected of selling illegal securities.
像“万通奇迹”这样，以投资网络虚拟货币为名进行非法集资犯罪，成为当前涉众型经济犯罪的一个新特点。面对形形色色的网络虚拟货币和高额提成诱惑，百姓该如何甄别，练就“火眼金睛”呢？
The new economic crime such as Wantong Miracle seem to highlight an aspect that it entices people to invest in a cryptocurrecy but in reality is illegal securities. How can people see through the facade in the age of various cryptocurrencies and promised huge profits?
张朝晖说，每个人心里都应该树立自我防范意识，牢记“天上不会掉馅饼”，特别是要注意互联网金融存在鱼龙混杂的现象；如果看到涉及高息承诺和原始股权的项目，要特别留心多加警惕。高收益往往伴随着高风险，不规范的经济活动蕴藏着巨大风险；如果老百姓确实有投资意愿，要尽量找一些性价比高而规范的理财产品，特别是要注意其是否有资质，避免落入陷阱。
Zhang said everybody should have a sense of self-preservation. "There is no free lunch". There are a lot of supposed Internet finance that are totally bogus. If you see protoshares and high profit promises, be skeptical. High profit means high risk, and irregular economic activities entails HUGE risk. If you want to invest, find something that can be trusted and is regulated so that you don't get scammed.
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Feel free to compare this with the English version from Shanghai Daily
It appears that Xu is indeed in custody. Whether it's *the* Phil Ming Xu, we don't know yet, but it's hard to imagine it can be any one else, as Phil Ming Xu was previously supposedly a producer in Voice of China radio, and later moved to finance as he got to know some stocks and bonds people.
What's surprising is the same scheme was already smashed once in China back in 2012, when it was called Vantone instead of Wantong. Then was smashed again in the US in 2014, and it was reported in the Chinese media as well (link in Chinese) The scheme splinter was smashed in Taiwan in 2015 (link in Chinese) with 15 people charged.
This seems to suggest that perhaps Phil Ming Xu's link with the Shenyang Vantone scam was deeper than he claimed. He claimed before that he was deceived by the guy in Shenyang into helping him get listed in the US. But if he kept on using the name, then went back to China and STILL kept using the name, it can only be a deliberate choice. But that is speculation.
This seems to suggest that perhaps Phil Ming Xu's link with the Shenyang Vantone scam was deeper than he claimed. He claimed before that he was deceived by the guy in Shenyang into helping him get listed in the US. But if he kept on using the name, then went back to China and STILL kept using the name, it can only be a deliberate choice. But that is speculation.
What is clear is these scammers will keep on scamming until they are stopped.
