LETTER: Las Vegas real estate scams are very real

In response to your Sunday story on real estate scams:

In 2015, a scammer tried to rent me my own house. I went there to mow the lawn before my new tenants moved in. Someone had kicked open the front door of the empty house. My heart sank. But I went inside and everything was still spotless and all the appliances were there. What?

Then I checked my Craig’s List ad. There were two ads for my house: mine and someone else’s. The scammer had copied my description verbatim and used all my photos. But the price was 50 percent less.

I called the phone number in the ad. Yep, they wanted cash for the security deposit and first month’s rent.

It turns out they were going to fix the door jamb, change the locks and pretend they were the homeowner. The poor tenants would be out their money and then get evicted for squatting.

My advice to tenants: Never pay in cash, and get a lease in writing up front. Then check to see if the landlord on the lease does indeed own the home by going to the Clark County recorder’s office website. For fun, ask the landlord for the APN (Assessor’s Parcel Number).