Travel agent cons Cristiano Ronaldo out of a huge sum of cash

A three-year scam saw a travel agent embezzle money from Cristiano Ronaldo and other high-profile Portuguese clients.

A travel agent reportedly scammed Cristiano Ronaldo out of around €288,000 (nearly £250,000) between February 2007 and July 2010 in Portugal.

Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias has claimed Ronaldo entrusted his credit card details and pin codes to an employee of the travel agency Geostar; effectively giving open access to his funds.

The agent, known as Maria Silva, 53, then breached Ronaldo’s trust by withdrawing around €288,000 over a three-year period. She funded up to 200 trips that the Manchester United forward never took.

Cristiano Ronaldo scammed of £250,000 by travel agent: A travel agent, named Maria Silvia scammed Manchester United striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, out of £250,000 (about N140 million) after the football star entrusted her with his credit cards and pin. The 53-year-old travel agent… pic.twitter.com/TYvgQh0WQe

— King Tri-Zi (@KingTriZi) September 20, 2021

Ronaldo’s agent also scammed

Maria Silva also embezzled money out of CR7’s agent Jorge Mendes and his companies, Gestifute and Polaris. His former Manchester United teammate Nani and ex-Everton midfielder Manuel Fernandes were also victims in the scam.

She reportedly persuaded Ronaldo, and her other clients, to transfer travel money to her personal bank account instead of the business account of the travel agency she represented.

Ronaldo and his lawyer, Carlos Osorio de Castro, made a police statement in Porto in 2011. Maria Silva later pleaded guilty in court for fraud and forgery. She was sentenced to four years of probation back in January 2017. The 53-year-old is still paying back restitution on a monthly basis and has refused to comment on this report.