Scammer tried to trick me - Teacher says she was called for interview with fake hotel

When Mary Brown* saw a post on social media about the mysterious disappearance of St Mary resident Tiffany Murray, her eyes were filled with tears because she knew that she could have been in a similar situation if she didn’t pick up on several red flags from a telephone call that she had received.

“Late last month, I received a call as I was about to retire to bed from a man who told me that I was selected to do an interview at a hotel in Montego Bay. I knew that something was wrong because, not only did I not apply for a job, but it was strange that I would be receiving a call this late on a Sunday about an interview the following morning. I thought it was a scam and told the man that he could not scam me,” she said.

Brown, a teacher, said that the caller seemed very convincing because he knew her name and other personal details.

“When I told him I already had a job, he tried to convince me that I had applied for the post, and he was very calm as he spoke. I live in Kingston, so I went on to ask him why I would even apply for a job in Montego Bay of all places knowing that I already had a profession. After minutes of trying to convince me without any luck, he told me that he may have called the wrong number and hung up. My heart goes to Tiffany and her family, and I really hope that she will return home safely,” she said.

Like most persons who know of Murray’s story, Brown said that she is praying that the 27-year-old was not a victim of human trafficking.

It has been almost two weeks since Murray vanished without a trace, after she left her home for a job interview in Montego Bay. Her family is currently carrying out a frantic search, and they are keeping their fingers crossed that the $600,000 reward is enough for any information leading to her whereabouts.

ROUGH TIME

When THE STAR spoke with her sister, Alicia Murray, yesterday, it was obvious that she has been having a rough time since her sister disappeared.

“I believe she is alive, and I will do anything for my sister to return home. I am a nervous wreck since she disappeared. Sometimes I feel like I am going crazy. I have received a lot of calls since the story was published in THE STAR, so I know persons are trying to help,” she said.

“Tiffany would just not leave like that, and I know someone knows something about who may have taken to her and what happened to her. We are not from a rich family, but I want my sister home, and we are willing to pay for her safe return. Please let her go,” she said.

According to Alicia, Tiffany received a telephone call about a possible job opening at a place named ‘Moonlight Hotel’’ in Montego Bay on March 16.

However, she said that her sister may have been tricked, as no hotel that matches that name seem to exist in the parish.

As Murray and the police continue to search for Tiffany, it appears that another female may have gone missing after she journeyed to St James from Manchester on March 18. It is said that the woman left to meet a man who promised her a job at a hotel, and she has not been see or heard from since.

* Name changed