French midfielder Julien Maggiotti almost fell prey to a scam transfer on the January transfer deadline day, he has revealed.
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Maggiotti almost fell prey to a scam transferScammer pretended to be Eintracht Brunswick directorWas on the verge of catching a flight to GermanyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?
Maggiotti, who plies his trade at Ligue 2 side Bastia, was approached by a man pretending to be Benjamin Kessel, the sporting director of Bundesliga 2 side Eintracht Brunswick. In the final hours on the deadline day, the midfielder was on his way from Paris to Germany to complete a loan move when he realised he had fallen prey to a scam and that Brunswick were never keen on signing him. The impostor demanded the player pay €10,000 to book a medical, claiming the club no longer had an agreement with a local hospital.
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Speaking to , Maggiotti said: "My agent, through one of his contacts in Germany, had done more in-depth research and understands that Eintracht Brunswick has never been interested and that this thing is totally false."
He added: "During those hours of waiting, it was hard. You ask yourself a lot of questions. You say to yourself, but what did I do to deserve this? But I don't blame anyone. It happened to me, that's all."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The individual, who pretended to be Kessel, reportedly tried to scam players from Guingamp, Ajaccio and Nancy. The German side have already filed a complaint with the authorities, according to . Maggiotti began his career at Lucciana and later went on to play for clubs like Cholet, Lavia and Charleroi before moving to Bastia in 2023.
AFPWHAT NEXT?
Bastia, who are currently ninth in Ligue 2, will be back in action on Friday as they take on Clermont Foot in a league clash.