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Criminals are taking advantage of the nationwide car rental shortage. During the pandemic, travel came to a halt and rental cars were sold by the thousands. Now that more people are traveling again, car rental prices have skyrocketed. So have the number of scammers creating fake websites offering deals too good to be true. The Better Business Bureau is seeing new scams happening across the country and in Southwest Florida. The BBB offers some tips to avoid getting scammed: Never pay with gift cards or prepaid debit cards, go directly to the company website and check the URL carefully, beware of sponsored links and call the company to verify deals.