3 Brazil footballers say they fell victim to Xland’s cryptocurrency scam
- The Nottingham Forest midfielder Gustavo Scarpa, his former Palmeiras teammate Mayke and Fluminense’s Willian Bigode say they all lost money to a scam called Xland
- Scarpa says he lost 6.3 million reais, while Mayke invested 4 million reais, and Bigode estimates his loss at 17.5 million reais
Three Brazilian footballers, including Nottingham Forest midfielder Gustavo Scarpa, say they have fallen victim to a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency scam, according to local media reports.
Scarpa, his former teammate Mayke at Sao Paulo club Palmeiras, and Willian Bigode of Rio de Janeiro club Fluminense all claim to have lost huge sums to a cryptocurrency firm called Xland, which promised investors returns of up to 5 per cent a month on their money, according to the reports.
“I’ve always seen stupid people fall victim to pyramid schemes and scams. Finding myself in a situation like that is horrible,” Scarpa, 29, said in a WhatsApp audio message aired Sunday by Brazil’s biggest broadcaster, TV Globo.
Scarpa, who was named Brazilian league player of the year in 2022, and 30-year-old defender Mayke filed complaints with police in November, soon after winning the league title with Palmeiras.
Scarpa says he invested 6.3 million reais (US$1.2 million) in Xland. Mayke says he invested around 4 million reais.