A Bitcoin (BTC) trading scam has claimed the involvement of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry Charles Albert David and his wife Meghan Markle.
According to an April 9 report by the Mirror, the royal couple was featured in a fake BBC article where they praised a Bitcoin trading scheme.
The fake news piece claimed that the pair talked during a television show about a “wealth loophole” that can “transform anyone into a millionaire within three to four months.”
According to the fake article, the scheme would play a role in the couple's very real intentions to step back as senior Royal Family members and become financially independent. The report praises the well-known Bitcoin scam Bitcoin Evolution:
“What's made us successful is jumping into new opportunities quickly and without hesitation, and right now our number one money-make is a new cryptocurrency auto-trading program called Bitcoin Evolution. [...] It's the single biggest opportunity we've seen in our entire lifetimes to build a small fortune fast. [...] We urge everyone to check this out before the banks shut it down.”
Too good to be true
The article leads potential victims to the scam's website, which features a red banner and a countdown clock, warning that registration will close soon because of high demand. As the Mirror explains, this is a strategy meant to motivate potential investors to fall for the scam. The website also claimed that members usually earn at least $1,300 daily while working an average of 20 minutes per day, adding:
“Your profits are unlimited within The Bitcoin Evolution. Some members earned their first million within just 61 days.”
Bitcoin scam impersonations
In order to gain credibility, promoters of cryptocurrency scams often claim to involve well-known public figures. As Cointelegraph reported in late March, Janet Jackson’s billionaire ex-husband, Wissam Al Mana, was also featured in such a scam promotion on Facebook. He later demanded that the social media platform reveal the identity of the promoter.
Also in March, the cryptocurrency community spotted a bogus YouTube account impersonating Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of the firm behind XRP Ripple.