Police in Naples, Florida, are hunting for a man who they claim conned a Hertz clerk to hand over keys to a rental car valued at $17,000. At roughly 18:30 on Monday evening, the suspect entered the Hertz Rent-a-Car office at 160 Aviation Drive in downtown Naples, on the west coast of the Florida peninsula. He provided the desk clerk with a copy of a rental agreement, which was pre-printed and visible at the counter.

The man claimed he was collecting the vehicle on behalf of the person named on the contract according to police reports. The clerk asked the man to present his driver’s license for identification but quickly noted that it was a different name to that on the contract. The man at this point allegedly told the staff member that the other man was his business partner, claiming they were working together.

The clerk evidently fell for the ruse, asking the man to sign the rental contract before handing over the keys to the vehicle. The clerk, who could only recall the man being named Roger, did not make a copy of his driver’s license making tracking both the vehicle and the driver a complicated task for authorities.

The man was last seen leaving the depot in a four-door, gray, 2010 model Nissan with the registration tag being from North Carolina, ZPK8401.

The man who was supposed to have collected the rental vehicle showed up at the Hertz office around one hour later, requesting the stolen car. He was informed by the clerk that his business partner had already made the collection, which he said was unauthorised.

The suspect is believed to be around 40 years of age. He spoke fluent English and had black hair. He was well dressed according to police reports and was carrying a small suitcase which may have belonged to a pilot. There is no other information other than that his first or last name might be Roger.