The story behind the attempted scam against Barcelona in the signing of Robert Lewandowski in 2022

The signing of Robert Lewandowski by FC Barcelona, although it has generated some controversy regarding its process, due to the considerable amount spent on the transfer (€45 million plus five in variables) and the signed contract, which implies a significant salary burden with the peculiarity of a progressive increase in his salary season after season, it is undeniable that this is one of the most decisive signings of recent times for the culés. Currently, in 106 matches as a blaugrana, 'Lewy' has scored 71 goals and provided 19 assists, becoming the main reference of the team in the offensive department.

However, this signing was marked by a peculiarity related to an attempted scam during its completion. According to the program 'Què T'hi Jugues', Barcelona apparently transferred a total of €1 million as a commission for the signing of Robert Lewandowski. This fee was requested through an email supposedly sent by Pini Zahavi, representative of 'Lewy', on July 29, 2022.

The alleged scammer requested the amount to be paid into an account at the Bank of Cyprus in the name of Michael Gerardus Hermanus Demon, described as a lawyer. Fortunately, the Bank of Cyprus stopped the operation considering it "high risk" due to the large amount and the lack of previous transaction history, as well as the newly opened account (less than a month old) and the absence of justifying payment documentation.

Threats from the alleged scammer to FC Barcelona

Furthermore, according to the aforementioned source, the alleged scammer posing as Pini Zahavi, upon the transaction being blocked, spent some time sending emails threatening to report Barcelona to UEFA and block Lewandowski's registration if the million euros were not paid. The impostor also wrote to the Bank of Cyprus to pressure the transfer and its approval, claiming that Demon was merely an intermediary. However, the bank did not yield to the pressure, and the account was closed in October 2022.

The culé team ended up recovering the million euros in question

Fortunately, Barcelona managed to recover the money in question, although initially no investigation was opened as no formal complaints related to the case were received. Even Pini Zahavi, despite the identity theft against him, chose not to file a complaint, trusting that the club would take on that responsibility.