An unscrupulous fraudster is looking at jail time after admitting to spending more than £175,000 using a bank card belonging to Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez.
The suspect, identified as Mohamed Sharif, 32, reportedly spent £20,000 OF Mahrez’s money on designer clothes and parties in Ibiza.
One interesting bit about the whole fiasco is Mahrez failed to realise someone was using his bank account until over a month later.
Details of Sharif’s charges, as shown by The Crown Prosecution Service show that Mahrez’s bank Barclays were forced to reimburse him £175,830 in its entirety.
The incident took place in August 2017, when the Algerian was still a Leicester City player.
According to information provided by the CPS, an individual called the bank requesting for a replacement of Mahrez’s card.
But the card was never delivered to the footballer’s location and Mahrez never received it.
Soon after, transactions started to be done using the card in question including meals at the popular chain restaurant Nandos.
The card was also used on a Jet2 flight as well as the Spanish island of Ibiza.
In the five weeks before Mahrez blocked the card, Mohamed got a true taste of the life of the rich and famous.
He also spent some of the money in casinos in the UK.
Despite the hefty spending spree, the total amount he blew is barely equivalent to a quarter of what Mahrez makes in a week.
Met Det Chief Insp Mick Neville commented on the incident, saying, “The most amazing thing is that someone can blow £175,000 on a bank card without the loser even realising.”
