The following complaint was filed with the BBB on February 7, 2024:
Houds.com appears to be a fraudulent website for trading cryptocurrency. The URL is registered in Iceland, yet their chat support claims the registered office address is 85 Great Portland Street, London, United Kingdom, W1W 7LT.
Setting up an account requires minimal information. While depositing cryptocurrency seems functional, withdrawing funds appears to necessitate additional deposits under various pretexts. This pattern suggests the site is designed to steal cryptocurrency from individuals and transfer it to their own accounts.
I have refrained from depositing any funds, suspecting the site’s fraudulent nature. However, it’s crucial to report this site’s operations in a bid to alert others.
Further information from their chat support includes assurances of security and legality, requiring a deposit of 0.004 BTC for ‘wallet verification’ to resume fund withdrawals. They attribute this to a one-time, automated, decentralized system safeguard against fraud, emphasizing that no manual verification or employee intervention is possible due to their reliance on smart contracts and high-level security protocols.
Additionally, they promote a promo code, “Elon-boon,” which supposedly credits the user’s account with about $9000. This further entices users to deposit BTC to ‘verify’ their accounts for withdrawal access.