Advertised cruise liner 'job' turns out to be a con

Eight young people were cheated out of almost €5,000 last month after they applied to work on a cruise liner, a case that is being investigated by the police economic crimes unit with the help of Europol and Interpol.

The young people, seeking the opportunity of work abroad, were shortlisted from about 60 who had replied to an advertisement that appeared in The Sunday Times.

After their interviews and medical checks were carried out in Malta they travelled to Naples for a two-and-a-half day training course, which cost them €600 each.

They were told the money they spent, which covered flights and medicals, would be refunded once they completed the course but they started to smell a rat when they were checked into accommodation that seemed to them more like a brothel, judging by the noises they heard.

After completing the course they were given a "dodgy" certificate and sent on a paid train ride to Toulon in France, where they were meant to board the cruise liner called Neptune 1. On arrival their fears were confirmed when the tourist information office told them no such liner existed and they had been duped into a scam.

"I felt robbed of my life," Elaine Lanzon, one of the victims, said when contacted.

She said the scariest part was being in the dingy hotel and listening to the strange noises. Her biggest concern was that she would never return to Malta safely.

Ms Lanzon cautioned that when applying for such jobs, people should be more careful and check the facts for themselves rather than relying on a recruitment agency.

After they realised they had been cheated, the young people started to wonder whether there was more to this than met the eye and whether this was part of some form of organised crime.

Some members of the group actually believed the ultimate goal was to have their organs stolen because they underwent a number of medical checks in Malta, including an HIV examination and given a jab for yellow fever.

The local recruiting agency that made the call for applications in The Sunday Times, Personnel Resources Limited, said it was also tricked because it was never paid for its work.

The advert omitted any mention of the cruise liner involved and seemed genuine because it was issued by the established recruitment agency.

When contacted, a company spokesman said she thought the young people had dramatised the incident. She believed this was a classic fraud scam.

Police sources said the investigation was very limited because the crime was committed beyond Malta's jurisdiction. They said Interpol was also contacted because some countries were not covered by Europol.

He said that although at first glance this seemed like a classic scam, nothing was being ruled out at this point and other angles were being investigated.

Some of the victims will appear on Xarabank on January 16 where they will tell their story.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com