With the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to stay home and stay connected online for longer, experts claim the risk of cybercrime has gone up as well. Financial institutions are reminding people to be wary of phishing emails and other scams that ask for their personal information. People who are investing in the cryptocurrency market are also potential targets. One of the common tactics being used is alleged celebrity endorsements that promise huge returns in a short period. The latest ones have names featured of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Some of the previous personalities that were used by scammers included Lord Sugar, Richard Branson, and Bill Gates. Even stranger was the fact that those who were not even related to anything financial were likewise mentioned. According to sources, the cryptocurrency rip-off group hopes to lure gullible investors who want easy gains without any fuss. These individual end up getting swindled and left with no leads as to how to track the perpetrators.

Fintech Zoom reports that this new one uses a fake report from the BBC to highlight how Meghan Markle and Prince Harry found a "wealth loophole." It then promises to turn "anybody right into a millionaire inside three to 4 months." This then moves on to note that the royals describe it as a "cryptocurrency auto-trading program referred to as Bitcoin Evolution." It even falsely quotes Harry to have said: "We urge everybody to examine this out earlier thank the banks shut it down."

Those who are still new to cryptocurrency trading can easily be duped by what the app promises. A description posted by the scammers states that "there isn't any different buying and selling app on the planet that performs on the 99.4% degree of accuracy that The Bitcoin Evolution is ready to hit." If users do try to access the website bitcoin-evolution.xyz there are several banners that attempt to trick people into signing up.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The couple are said to have relocated to California by private jet earlier this month. Photo: AFP / DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS

Cybersecurity experts explain that these are common tactics used by scammers. The banners and even the countdown timer make it seem that the offer is limited and will soon expire. Aside from using celebrities such as the royals, others even use photos of regular folks (probably taken from royalty-free stock images online) to market their services.