Like a Hollywood Plot: Barcelona Scammed During Lewandowski Transfer
Barcelona found themselves caught in a situation straight out of a movie. While completing the transfer of Polish star Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, the club was the target of a scam.
According to reports by Cadena SER, a fraudster impersonated Pini Zahavi, the well-known agent of Lewandowski, and contacted Barcelona. The scammer requested a commission of €1 million in 2022, supposedly for Zahavi’s services during the transfer.
Barcelona complied and transferred the money to a bank account in Cyprus, which the scammer provided. However, the bank’s compliance department flagged the account as suspicious due to its lack of previous banking activity and informed La Liga about the unusual transaction.
The real Pini Zahavi later clarified that he had not made any such request. Fortunately for Barcelona, the bank was able to stop the transaction, and the club eventually recovered the funds.
Lewandowski’s transfer to Barcelona from Bayern Munich for £42.6 million in 2022 was a significant success for the club, with the Polish striker scoring 71 goals in 106 appearances since joining.
