Man reportedly uses Cypriot bank to scam Barcelona during Lewandowski’s transfer: Bank blocked transction

Spanish giant Barcelona fell victim to a €1 million fraud attempt during the transfer of Robert Lewandowski in 2022, according to a scoop by the Cyprus Investigative Reporting Network (CIREN) and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The club reportedly authorised a transfer of €1 million to a Cypriot bank account after receiving an email from someone posing as Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi. The account was opened under the name Michael Gerardus Hermanus Demon, who presented as a lawyer.

However, the bank in Cyprus blocked the transaction, deeming it high-risk due to the account’s lack of activity and insufficient documentation justifying the payment.

The impersonator allegedly pressured the bank via phone calls and emails, threatening to report Barcelona to UEFA and cancel the transfer. Despite this, bank officials did not release the funds, which were eventually returned to the club. The account was permanently closed in October 2022.

Zahavi, entitled to a 10% commission (€10.4 million) on Lewandowski’s four-year, €104 million contract, confirmed he had not sent any emails requesting money. He reportedly decided against filing a complaint, expecting Barcelona to do so.

Investigations revealed that the named intermediary, Michael Gerardus Hermanus Demon, is not a certified lawyer in Europe.

A 51-year-old Dutch individual with this name was located in Arnhem, but no involvement in the fraud attempt was proven.