Cyber Incident Victim: S.S. Lazio
Date:
Mar 2018
Location:
Italy
Summary
An Italian football club was defrauded of €2 million after falling victim to a deceptive email scam related to a player transfer payment. Hackers impersonated Dutch club Feyenoord, sending fraudulent banking instructions that diverted the final transfer installment for defender Stefan de Vrij into an unauthorized Netherlands-based account. The recipient club confirmed non-receipt of funds and disavowed the communication, while investigators traced the misdirected payment to an unrelated Dutch bank account. The incident occurred during contractual negotiations for the player, who had originally joined the Italian side for €6.8 million but was set to depart without a transfer fee due to unresolved contract terms.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On or around March 28, 2018, Italian Serie A football club S.S. Lazio fell victim to a financial fraud scheme involving the final transfer payment for defender Stefan de Vrij. According to reports from Italian newspaper Il Tempo, hackers with apparent knowledge of the transfer agreement between Lazio and Dutch club Feyenoord orchestrated the scam. The attackers sent Lazio an email that appeared to originate from Feyenoord, requesting payment of €2 million (£1.75 million) as the final instalment for de Vrij's 2014 transfer. The fraudulent communication included bank account details in the Netherlands, which Lazio officials used to transfer the funds. This transaction occurred without direct verification with Feyenoord through alternative channels.
The scam was discovered when Feyenoord confirmed they never received the payment and denied sending the email request. Italian authorities initiated an investigation, with prosecutors tracing the funds to a Dutch bank account unaffiliated with Feyenoord. The incident resulted in a direct financial loss of €2 million for Lazio, representing the full final payment for de Vrij's original £6.8 million transfer. This occurred as the player was preparing to leave the club on a free transfer that summer after contract extension negotiations failed. No technical details about the attack vector or system compromises were disclosed in available reports, with the investigation focusing on financial tracking rather than digital forensic findings.