FC Barcelona has reportedly become a victim of a sophisticated fraud scheme, resulting in a loss of €1 million (£830,000). The scam involved an individual posing as a representative of Robert Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi.
Lewandowski, who joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for an initial fee of €45 million (£37 million), has established himself as a key player for the club, netting 71 goals in 106 matches. However, behind the scenes, Barcelona faced a significant challenge when a fraudster exploited the high-profile transfer.
The scam began when Barcelona was approached by someone claiming to be associated with Zahavi. The fraudster, under the false identity of Michael Hermanus Gerardus Demon, posed as Lewandowski’s lawyer and requested €1 million to be transferred to a bank account in Cyprus.
Despite the repeated demands from the fraudster, Barcelona ultimately consented to make the payment, sending the funds to an account at Banc de Xipre. Fortunately, the bank’s compliance department flagged the transaction as suspicious, freezing the funds and preventing the fraudster from accessing them.
An investigation by Cadena SER revealed that the fraudster had no prior banking history with the Cypriot institution. When Barcelona sought to verify the identity of the individual, they contacted Zahavi, who confirmed he had no knowledge of anyone by that name. As a result, the bank permanently froze the funds.
In a desperate move, the fraudster later threatened to report Barcelona to UEFA and demanded an additional €250,000 (£207,000) for his silence. However, Barcelona was able to recover the initial €1 million from the Cypriot bank.
Despite the close call, Catalan police have not initiated a criminal investigation as the club has not filed a formal complaint regarding the incident. This incident highlights the vulnerabilities even high-profile clubs can face regarding fraud and financial security.