How fraudster duped Barcelona FC Lewandowski’s transfer deal
In a sophisticated fraud scheme, FC Barcelona became the victim of a scam involving a fraudster posing as a representative of Robert Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi.
The incident unfolded after Lewandowski’s transfer from Bayern Munich to Barcelona in the summer of 2022, where he joined for an initial fee of €45 million.
Following this high-profile transfer, the fraudster contacted Barcelona claiming to be associated with Zahavi and demanded a payment of €1 million to settle what was purportedly a transfer-related fee.
The fraudster, who used the false identity “Michael Hermanus Gerardus Demon,” pressured the club into making this payment. Despite the bank’s compliance department flagging the transaction as suspicious due to its large amount and the newness of the account involved (Banc de Xipre), Barcelona initially proceeded with wiring the funds. This decision was made despite red flags being raised about the legitimacy of the transaction.
READ ALSO: See Lamine Yamal’s astronomical Barcelona release clause
Upon contacting Zahavi to verify the request, Barcelona learned that he had no knowledge of this fraudulent individual. This revelation prompted the bank to freeze the funds before they could reach the fraudster. However, under escalating pressure from “Mr. Demon,” who threatened to report Barcelona to UEFA if they did not comply and even demanded an additional €250,000 for silence, Barcelona found themselves in a precarious situation.
Fortunately, part of the money was eventually recovered from the Cypriot bank after these events unfolded. Although no formal criminal investigation has been initiated as Barcelona has not filed a complaint, they have acknowledged being targeted by an attempted fraud and have since strengthened their anti-fraud protocols to prevent similar incidents in future dealings.
This incident highlights vulnerabilities that can exist even within well-established organizations like FC Barcelona when it comes to financial transactions and communications regarding player transfers.
