Neymar mistakenly approved for virus welfare payment
Published on: Saturday, June 06, 2020
By: AFP
Neymar’s personal details were used in an apparent case of identity theft.
RIO DE JANEIRO: Neymar, the world’s most expensive footballer, was approved to receive a $120 (RM518) welfare payment meant for low-paid Brazilian workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic, in an apparent case of identity theft, a report said Thursday.The Paris Saint-Germain star’s name, date of birth and Brazilian ID number were used to register for the 600-real stimulus payment from the federal government, news site UOL reported.
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The emergency payments are meant to help Brazilians employed in the informal sector—such as cleaners or cooks—whose jobs and incomes have evaporated with stay-at-home measures to contain the virus.
With a contract at PSG, estimated earnings of $95.5 million (RM412.5 million) this year and the record for most expensive football transfer in history, at 222 million euros (RM1.09 billion), Neymar does not qualify.
Yet according to UOL, the application in his name “was initially approved and scheduled for payment... before being frozen and placed ‘under evaluation’ due to indications it failed to meet the requirements.”
The striker’s communications staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
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UOL reported his staff said Neymar “obviously never applied for this benefit, and does not know who would have done so.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Neymar, 28, is riding out the pandemic at his luxury villa in Mangaratiba, a resort town outside Rio de Janeiro.
