(Reuters) – Brazilian police have arrested a man they believe hacked into Neymar’s bank accounts and repeatedly stole small sums of money amounting to more than $40,000, officials in Sao Paulo said.
Police said the alleged hacker worked at an unnamed bank where the Paris St Germain and Brazil player and his business manager father had accounts.
They arrested the 20-year-old on Wednesday “for defrauding bank clients”, a police statement said.
Although the police did not name the player in the statement, the officer in charge of the case said it was Neymar and explained how the alleged theft occurred to Brazilian TV show Brasil Urgente.
“What did this lad do?” said Fabio Pinheiro Lopes. “He got the password of his office colleague and stole small amounts of money from famous people with high net worth.”
“These people didn’t notice. He made (a transfer) of 10,000 (reais) ($1,912.59), then another of 10,000, then 20,000, and then 50,0000 and the total came to 200,000.”
Lopes said the account affected was Neymar’s and that his father likely controlled the funds.
“When they discovered they called the bank. The bank reimbursed the victim and investigated who was behind it,” he said.
Neymar’s press officer did not comment on the case when contacted by Reuters.
($1 = 5.2285 reais)
(Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Toby Davis)
