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Rental car scams are becoming a growing issue in northeast Oklahoma as these vehicles are hard to find for the time being.

Our news partners at News on 6 ask you to stay leery if you suddenly find a rental car that is cheap. Scammers are posing as rental car companies to the point that they're setting up their own websites and fake customer service phone numbers. Then, they're asking people to pre-pay with a gift card or prepaid debit card.

You can research the rental car company by searching for the name of the company and words like "scam," "complaint," or "review" to check if other people have had a bad experience. To verify the rental, do not use a search engine but instead, go directly to the company website.

Pay with a credit card and never pay with a gift card or prepaid debit card. Once you give the number and PIN off the back of those cards to a scammer, that money is gone forever.

To make a fraud report, click here.