Fraudster Posing as Lewandowski Agent Dupes Barcelona €1m

Barcelona fell victim to a €1 million scam after being deceived by a fraudster posing as a representative of Robert Lewandowski’s agent.

Lewandowski, who joined the Catalan giants from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for an initial fee of €45 million), has proven his value on the pitch, netting 71 goals in 106 appearances.

However, behind the scenes, the club faced a significant issue, as the fraudster exploited the high-profile transfer to swindle the Catalan giants.

Following the transfer deal, Barcelona were contacted by someone claiming to be working with Robert Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi, who demanded €1 million be sent to a Cypriot bank account.

The fraudster, using the false identity of “Michael Hermanus Gerardus Demon,” pretended to be Lewandowski’s lawyer and persistently pressured the club until they agreed to the payment.

Barcelona wired the funds to an account at Banc de Xipre, but the bank’s compliance department flagged the transaction as suspicious.

According to an investigation by Cadena SER, the fraudster had no prior banking history with the institution and was asked to verify their identity.

When Barcelona reached out to Zahavi, Lewandowski’s agent he denied any knowledge of the fraudulent individual, leading the bank to freeze the funds.

The fraudster, ‘Mr. Demon’ later escalated the pressure on Barcelona, threatening to report them to UEFA if they didn’t pay and demanding an additional €250,000 for silence.

Fortunately, Barcelona managed to recover part of the money from the Cypriot bank, though no criminal investigation has been launched as the club has not filed a formal complaint.

Barcelona confirmed to Cadena SER that they were the target of an attempted fraud, which has led them to strengthen their anti-fraud protocols.