Scam agent warning
A notorious scam artist named A. Zahra who presents himself as a Basketball agent has returned, attempting to fleece players and their representatives out of money. With no genuine contacts in the sport and a noted track record for scamming players, A. Zahra should be avoided. Here we will tell you everything you need to know.
Firstly, A.Zahra is almost certainly an alias. This means the scammer could assume another name and is sometimes known as Aziz AZ. Working out of Lebanon, he usually targets young ballplayers, obviously targeting those who do not have representation from an agent. Zahra claims to be an agent and promises huge contracts for aspiring players.
He even goes as far as to draw up a list of teams that are interested in acquiring a players’ services and the contracts they are offering. The scam takes place when A. Zahra asks for an upfront payment to send over the contract and other false administrative duties.
While the position of “it will never happen to me” is common, the truth is Zahra has been successful and scammed dozens of players out of a lot of money. He preys on inexperienced players, especially those who have little knowledge of the business side of Basketball. Despite his huge promises, he is a thief, a liar, and will deliver zero of what he has offered.
Be warned, he is very thorough and looks like the real deal. This is evidenced by the fact he draws up contracts himself, usually full of detailed language that looks like the real deal. Actually, Zahra has no links to the Basketball community and in fact, he has been shunned by it, with teams and other agents well aware of his exploits.
Needless to say, you should ignore this character if you are a player who he contacts. It is worth remembering that you will never have to pay money upfront for a contract in this industry, it simply does not work that way. Teams usually pay agents fees and deal with expenses.
If you are contacted by anyone claiming to be an agent, it is always worth doing your homework. Zahra is certainly not the only scammer out there. A reputable agent will be just a Google search away, where you can discover credentials and history. If you are ever unsure, simply break off contact or ask for more clarification. In the case of Zahra, break off contact as it is a one way street to wasting your time or losing you money.