A 19-year-old Brazilian basketballer feared he was being scammed when his former club Flamengo paid him $366,000 in a case of mistaken identity this week.

The payment should have gone to his footballing namesake, Joao Victor Gomes da Silva, as part of the 22-year-old's recent transfer from Flamengo to English side Wolves.

No longer with the club either, the incident scared the young basketballer.

"I was scared because I didn't know where the money came from," he said, explaining he feared someone might be using his account to launder money.

Now playing at amateur level, Gomes has promised to pay the club back.

"I'd like to settle that as soon as possible," he said.

The footballer Gomes scored a winning goal on his debut for Wolves after an $18.5 million deal in January.