HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Over the course of nine months, Bryan and Karla Bernet estimate between 50 and 60 strangers have come knocking on their door, looking to pick up new appliances.
“We’re just wondering when’s the next person that’s going to come by here,” said Bryan Bernet. “It might be the one that one day becomes violent or aggressive.”
Each time, the couple is forced to explain to the stranger that they’re caught up in the middle of an elaborate Facebook Marketplace scam.
It’s a scam that the couple cannot seem to escape themselves. They have repeatedly reached out to Facebook, reported the incidents to police and flagged the false posts and pages.
“We can go for two weeks with nothing, and then all of a sudden, several people show up on the same day,” said Bryan.
On Friday, Local 10 News exposed this ongoing problem involving Facebook Marketplace across South Florida.
A Broward family caught up in a similar scam is paying the price and making costly repairs after their vehicle was vandalized.
Robert Vazquez said a few hours before the incident in his Dania Beach driveway, two men knocked on his front door looking for keys to that car. They said they rented it on Facebook.
“The guy said, ‘I was on Facebook and this car was for rent,’” recalled Vazquez. “We wanted to rent it. We gave a deposit of $250. My son said, ‘I’m sorry, but no, I’m not renting my car out. I have nothing to do with that.’”
As the conversation continued, they found his son’s Audi S4 was, in fact, posted on Facebook Marketplace without their knowledge.
The two men left empty-handed, but two others returned a few hours later.
Surveillance video shows them looking at the car and checking the license plate.
Minutes later, one man grabs a monkey wrench and gets to work.
Local 10 News discovered the fake advertisement was still posted three days later.
“My son tried to get in touch with Facebook — nothing,” said a frustrated Vazquez. “To tell them, ‘Get that out of there. You guys are becoming enablers for criminals to come over and post their crimes and you guys aren’t doing anything about it.’”
BSO is investigating and there is an open case with Hollywood police.
Local 10 News has reached out to Facebook/Meta for comment, as some of these false ads still remain online despite residents trying to get them removed.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
If you have been a victim of fraud, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.