Murfreesboro Police responded to an aggravated burglary and extortion incident at Embassy Suites on Thursday at approximately 6:59 p.m.
Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim who stated that, between 10:30 and 11 p.m. on Wednesday, someone had gained access to his hotel room. The victim said that things were out of place when he returned to his room that night, but nothing was missing from his wallet. However, at 3 a.m. on Thursday, his debit card withdrew $100 without his permission.
Around 9 a.m., the victim was contacted via text message with pictures of the money that was in his wallet, his credit card and his debit card, as well as pictures of himself in the hotel lobby. The victim was then sent instructions to allow the perpetrators access to his credit card. The instructions stated that if the victim did not comply, the victim’s picture would be posted on Facebook, and the victim would be identified as a man who was trying to pick up other men.
The victim deleted the text messages with the threats prior to the officer’s arrival. Officers were able to view the pictures of the cards and cash. Officers also saw other text messages on the victim’s phone that said, “Send it,” “OK. I got you” and “Liar.” The suspect canceled his debit and credit card before they could be used again. There are no known suspects at this time.
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