A series of car rental scams has spread anxiety and outrage across Broward County, Florida, leading to multiple cases of vehicle vandalism and residents grappling with the repercussions. "It’s awfully frustrating," Robert Vazquez, whose family fell victim to the scam, told Local 10 News after his son's Audi S4 was posted for rent without their consent on Facebook Marketplace and later vandalized with a monkey wrench by those who believed they had rented it.

The perpetrators of this scam knocked on the doors of their would-be victims under the guise of picking up rental vehicles they had supposedly secured online with deposits in hand, and it just so happened before Vazquez's son's car, one such unsuspecting resident, was recalled. “The guy said, ‘I was on Facebook, and this car was for rent,’” adding, “I'm sorry, but no, I’m not renting my car out,” when the alleged renters came for the vehicle. In a similar vein, down the street from the Vazquez residence, Phyllis Urbine experienced strangers claiming to have rented her Mercedes, yet despite her insistence, "I say, ‘This is my car, and it’s not for rent,’” some seem disinclined to believe her story, as recounted to Local 10 News.

Following repeated attempts to contact Facebook or Meta to remove these fraudulent postings, Vazquez expressed his dismay, criticizing the social media giant’s inaction: “My son tried to get in touch with Facebook. Nothing," he recounted in a frustrated tone, conveying the sense that the company has become an unwitting accomplice in these crimes. Urbine has faced a similar ordeal, with no less than seven individuals approaching her property regarding the rental of her car, according to her statement to the Local 10 News.