Miami family loses thousands in alleged Facebook Marketplace rental scam

MIAMI — What looked like the perfect temporary rental on Facebook Marketplace turned into what Miami Police call a convincing rental scam — andthe man accused is under arrest.

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For Radoslav Sekulic and his young family, the apartment was supposed to be a short-term place to stay while work was being done on their home.

After long days running his Miami Beach car detailing business, Sekulic said he just wanted a place where he, his wife and their newborn daughter, Mila, could get some rest.

Instead, they say they got scammed.

The family found the listing on Facebook Marketplace. The apartment looked real, with photos and a video walkthrough. They thought they had found the perfect place to stay for four to six weeks.

But on move-in day, things suddenly changed.

“I can’t let you in,” the supposed landlord told them. “The apartment doesn’t smell good, and we can do it in the next few days when the plumbing job is done.”

Those next few days never happened.

Detectives say the rental listing was fake from the start.

Sekulic spoke exclusively with Local 10 News, saying he wants to warn others about what police describe as a rental scam allegedly tied to Joseph Saroza, who now faces several counts of organized fraud and grand theft.

Sekulic said he pleaded with the alleged scammer after realizing something was wrong.

“My wife is not working. We have a one-month-old. We cannot afford this. I’m currently under financial stress,” he said.

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Police say Saroza allegedly lured renters with apartments he had no authority to rent. Investigators say he somehow got access to units, showed them to potential renters, talked about lease terms and collected deposits.

The problem, police say, is that he had no connection to the apartments at all.

Sekulic said his family lost $2,000. Detectives believe other victims may have lost even more — between $4,000 and $6,000 in some cases.

Police also say Saroza allegedly used a fake name online.

Officer Mike Vega with Miami police said the scam followed a familiar pattern.

“Put it on Facebook and say it’s for rent, ask for a security deposit and a final deposit, and then at the end he would say there’s a problem with the plumbing,” Vega said.

Court documents say Saroza created fake leases and even fake key cards for some victims. Investigators say he met renters at the apartments to make everything look legitimate.

Local 10 News went to Saroza’s last known address looking for his side of the story, but he was not there. Relatives reportedly said he moved out some time ago.

“Calling him, he blocked me and he blocked my wife,” Sekulic said.

Saroza is out on bond. Miami police say there could be more victims and are urging anyone who believes they were targeted to come forward.

Police are also sharing tips to help renters avoid falling for similar housing scams.

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