Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees sceneWest End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers Police respond to rollover crash; driver flees scene The Fort Myers Police Department responded to a crash involving one vehicle on Colonial Gardens Circle and Colonial Boulevard.
FORT MYERS West End residents frustrated by security failures, lack of response A nearly $64 million luxury apartment complex that close to 500 people call home, but somehow, security seems to fall through the cracks.
NAPLES Collier County nearly doubles tourism budget On Tuesday, Collier County Commissioners approved a nearly $12 million budget for a tourism marketing campaign.
Florida policyholders urged to contact OIR if policies are canceled or nonrenewed If your insurance has been canceled or is not being renewed due to this year’s storms, the state of Florida wants you to reach out to the Office of Insurance Regulation.
BAREFOOT BEACH Woman thinks QR code got hacked A Fort Myers woman says a fraudulent QR code at Barefoot Beach caused her credit card to be hacked. She’s on a mission to warn others.
CAPE CORAL Sticker shock: Cape Coral residents hit with unexpected property tax hikes This is the time of year when people start paying their property taxes, but what happens when you get your bill and it’s more than you expected?
SANIBEL Sanibel workshop teaches residents benefits of elevating homes and businesses With each hurricane that brings damage to our area, many people rush to be more resilient. On Sanibel, more than 300 people have RSVP’d to learn about raising their homes and businesses.
SANIBEL Sanibel Causeway construction causing confusion and costing local business Repairing the Sanibel Causeway after recent storms has caused more than just traffic back-ups.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Speakeasy in downtown Fort Myers honors local historic figures Everything inside the Escondido Lounge whispers an authentic speakeasy, from the dim red lights to the fancy vintage glasses.
ESTERO Caught on camera: Man steals money from tip jar in Estero A business manager feels violated after a man took money from a tip jar on Tuesday.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral ranked 13th for establishing small businesses A blog set out to find the top U.S. cities where aspiring business owners can thrive in 2024, Cape Coral was named 13th.
NAPLES Minimally invasive balloon procedure for sinus issues Battling a sinus infection is bad enough, but contending with chronic sinus infections can be a real problem.
Most Wanted Wednesday: Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024 Here are some of Southwest Florida’s most wanted suspects for November 13, 2024.
ESTERO Car crashes into restaurant window in Gulf Coast Town Center Authorities are investigating after an SUV crashed into a restaurant at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Estero.
WEST PALM BEACH Trump picks Sen. Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State President-elect Donald Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. -The FBI said fraudulent advertisements for vacation and rental properties are costing people roughly $92.5 million each year. Valerie Henry and her family live in France. This summer, they booked a vacation to stay at a waterfront home in Cape Coral. Weeks before the vacation was planned, Henry realized the rental home she had booked on a website called www.ProVacationFinder.com was bogus. “I sent [wired] the payment Wednesday, but then Monday I realized maybe there’s something not honest,” Henry said with the help of a translator. “Tuesday my friends went to the bank to ask cancellation…It was too late.” Henry explained she had contacted the so-called property owner through the website. She received an email telling her to wire $3,000 to a bank in London. After wiring that money, she never received a confirmation. She tried to contact the owner, but did not have a phone number. “We thought we were not going to go on vacation and that was that.” However, Henry had already bought the plane tickets for her family, so they started searching for a new rental home. While searching online, she came across the same pictures of the Cape Coral home she had already booked, but this time the property owner’s name and number was listed. So, she called the owner, Peter Gillert. “My first thought was ‘Oh my God’ somebody uses our property’s pictures on the internet for fraudulent purposes, which is not acceptable,” Gillert said. “I really wanted to help this family because they have set aside their money for their vacation. They have paid the money and now the money is lost and they will probably not get it back again.” Gillert knew the posting Henry booked on was fake because his home was already booked the week she needed. Nonetheless, he tried to help her find a legitimate posting. In the meantime, Gillert contacted Cape Coral police and Call for Action. WINK News had Gillert contact IC3, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a division of the FBI that investigates online scams. “Unfortunately my impression is they are helpless in this aspect,” Gillert said. WINK News Call for Action talked to Special Agent Dave Couvertier with the FBI. He said IC3 has seen an increase in rental scams in the Southwest Florida area. “Unfortunately as far as trying to resolve these cases to the point the scammer is actually charged and incarcerated for doing what they’re doing is relatively low. Only because there are so many options for criminals today to separate themselves from the crime itself,” Couvertier explained. He said based on IC3 information collected in 2013, they found victims lost $18.5 million annually in rental scams, but they estimate only 20-percent of cases are reported. Which means victims lose roughly $92.5 million each year. “Those are some big numbers,” Couvertier said. “I’ve heard victims describe it as being punched in the stomach as that feeling once they find out they’ve been duped. It’s very frustrating.” However, both Gillert and Couvertier said there are warning signs. In the case of ProVacationFinder.com, the scammers stole all of Gillert’s home’s pictures and information, but the property owner’s name, contact information and the home’s address were not listed. Couvertier said before you book any properties, make sure you have the owner’s information and talk to him/her before you book. He also recommended you never wire money; instead he said pay with credit card, so you can recoup your money. Finally, he said Google image the property to make sure it actually exists. If you are a victim of a rental scam or any other online scam, file a complaint with IC3 by clicking here.