Source: KB3/Adobe
Two of Brazil’s top professional soccer players claim they fell for a cryptocurrency scam, saying they were persuaded by a professional player to invest in a fraudulent project.
According to media outlets Suno, Lance and ESPN Brasil, two players have filed legal action against a company run by a third-party player. The case was brought by Maker, who currently plays for Sao Paulo Palmeiras in Brazil, and Nottingham Forest (Premier League) midfielder Gustavo Scarpa.
The pair have launched legal action against a “consulting” and “financial planning” firm called WLJC. The company is run by Willian Bigode, who currently plays for Fluminense in Brazil’s top league.
Mayke and Scarpa claim they invested more than $2 million in “cryptocurrency” last May on the advice of the WLJC. They claim they were told they could expect to make a profit of 3.5% to 5% per month on their stake.
But they claim those profits never materialized. They claim that when they attempted to “withdraw funds,” their stake was not returned.
Both claim that Bigode “introduced” them to the project. Their legal case seeks to take Bigode to court and return their funds.
Football player Bigode: I am also a victim of a cryptocurrency scam
Media reports said the WLJC recommended that Mayke and Scarpa invest their money in a platform called Xland Holding.
However, in October 2022, Xland was identified as a “possible financial pyramid scheme” by the Ministry of Public Affairs of the Brazilian state of Aká.
However, Bigode’s legal team asserts that their client did not act in bad faith – that he himself was a victim of the Xland scheme.
Bigode lost about $3.4 million of his own money in one investment, his legal team said. The team alleges that Bigode and his company only recommended the project to Mayke and Scarpa after “someone he completely trusted” had introduced them to the project.
The legal team wrote:
“WLJC is not a brokerage firm. [It does not] authorized to invest on behalf of its clients, as it acts exclusively in the field of financial planning. “
Last month, Indeal, the Brazilian firm believed to have masterminded a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme worth an estimated $193 million, declared bankruptcy.
Source of information: Compiled from CRYPTONEWS by 0x Information.Copyright belongs to the author, without permission, may not be reproduced