Rental Scams in Las Vegas: What the Numbers Show

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How Common Are Rental Scams in Las Vegas?

By The Rental Lister · Published November 11, 2026 · Data: Federal Trade Commission, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, BBB Scam Tracker

Nevada had the 4th-highest rate of fraud reports to the Federal Trade Commission of any state in 2024, at 1,867 per 100,000 residents, and the Las Vegas metro ranked 8th of the 50 largest metros. Nationally, the FTC counted nearly 65,000 rental-scam reports and about $65 million in losses from January 2020 to June 2025.

Key Numbers

• 4thof the states for fraud reports to the FTC per resident in 2024: 1,867 per 100,000 NevadansFTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book 2024
• 8thof the 50 largest metros: the Las Vegas metro’s rank for fraud reports in 2024, at 2,122 per 100,000FTC Consumer Sentinel Data Book 2024
• Nearly 65,000U.S. rental-scam reports to the FTC from January 2020 to June 2025, with about $65 million lostFTC Data Spotlight, December 2025 (national)
• About halfof U.S. rental-scam reports from July 2024 to June 2025 started with a fake ad on Facebook; 16% on CraigslistFTC Data Spotlight, December 2025 (national)

0 100 200 300

191

182

265

202320242025

Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Nevada state reports, “Real Estate” crime type, which covers rental and timeshare fraud and real estate investment fraud. Victims who chose to report; not a count of all scams.

Victims rose from 182 in 2024 to 265 in 2025 while reported losses fell, from $3.15 million to $1.34 million. These are small numbers in a mixed category, so read them as a signal, not a trend.

No One Counts Las Vegas Rental Scams

We found no published count of Las Vegas rental scams from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Nevada Attorney General, BBB Southern Nevada or Clark County. The federal complaint databases come closest, and none of them has a rentals-only figure for Nevada. The FTC has not yet published its 2025 state figures, and it took no reports from October 1 to November 13, 2025, during the federal funding lapse (FTC).

Where Rental Scams Start

From July 2024 to June 2025, about half of the rental-scam reports the FTC reviewed started with a fake ad on Facebook, and 16% on Craigslist. People aged 18 to 29 were three times as likely as other adults to report losing money to a rental scam. The typical scam copies a real home’s photos and address, often from a listing for sale, and the “landlord” cannot meet in person (FTC Data Spotlight).

Why the Numbers Disagree

• Different counts. The FTC’s rental-scam total comes from a text model the FTC ran on the stories in its reports. The FBI’s “Real Estate” category also includes investment and timeshare fraud. BBB Scam Tracker puts rentals at 0.3% of all scam reports in 2025.
• Different losses. The median loss was $1,000 in FTC reports (2020 to mid-2025) and $415 in BBB Scam Tracker reports (2025).
• Different ranks. Nevada was 4th for FTC fraud reports per resident in 2024. In the FBI’s 2024 count of all cybercrime, Nevadans reported $8.2 million lost per 100,000 residents, more than any other state; only the District of Columbia was higher (IC3 2024 report). Neither measure is rentals only.
• Reports undercount. Every figure here counts people who chose to report. Many victims never do.

Fraud Runs the Other Way Too

Scams are not only fake listings. In 2024 the FTC received 17,790 reports of a stolen identity used to rent an apartment or house, up 35% on 2023. Industry data points the same way: one screening vendor, Snappt, found altered documents in 707 of 13,369 Las Vegas rental applications it checked in the first half of 2026 (about 5.3%, our calculation), against 3.8% nationally (Snappt, vendor data). Our guide to rental application fraud in Las Vegas covers what owners can check.

How to Spot a Fake Listing

• The rent is far below similar homes. The FTC: “If the rent is a lot cheaper than most rents in the area, it could be a sign of a scam.” For a sense of scale, HUD’s fiscal 2026 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Las Vegas metro, a 40th-percentile rent including utilities, is $2,413 (HUD).
• The same photos or address appear elsewhere. The same pictures under another contact, or the home listed for sale, are red flags (FTC).
• The owner can’t show the home. They are out of the country, mail the keys, or offer only a remote “self-tour”.
• Money comes before a viewing. Any request for a wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency is a scam, according to the FTC. Be just as careful with payment apps, which are hard to reverse.
• You are pushed to decide today. The FTC’s advice: “If anyone pressures you to make a decision quickly, walk away.”
• The contact doesn’t match the owner. The Clark County Assessor shows who owns a home, and the Nevada Real Estate Division lists licensed property managers. The Nevada Attorney General also tells renters to check ownership (tenant resources).

For a step-by-step guide for renters and owners, see rental listing scams in Las Vegas.

What This Means for Owners

• A vacant home can be advertised by someone else. The scams in the news copy a real home’s photos and address. While your home is vacant, search its address on the main listing sites.
• Keep your listing details consistent. One name, one phone number and one set of photos everywhere makes a copy easier to spot.
• Watch the title as well as the listing. Clark County’s Recorder offers a free alert when a document is recorded against your property. Our guide to deed fraud protection explains it.
• Report a copied listing. Use the platform’s own reporting tool, and report the scam to the FTC.

Every application we receive is checked for false IDs, false pay stubs, false bank statements, jobs that don’t exist and fraudulent landlord references. See how it fits together on protecting your Las Vegas rental.

Method and Sources

This study brings together published federal and industry figures, read on November 11, 2026. The FTC and FBI figures are complaints people chose to file; they are not verified and they undercount fraud. National figures are labeled national. Vendor figures come from the vendor’s own clients and are labeled as vendor data. Our only calculation is the Las Vegas share of altered applications (707 ÷ 13,369).

• FTC, Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024: www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/csn-annual-data-book-2024.pdf
• FTC Data Spotlight, rental scams, December 2025: www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/rental-scams-spotlight-2025.pdf
• FTC consumer advice, rental listing scams: consumer.ftc.gov/articles/rental-listing-scams
• FBI IC3, Nevada state report: www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025State/StateReport.aspx?s=31
• FBI IC3, Internet Crime Report 2024: www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf
• BBB Institute, 2025 Scam Tracker Risk Report: bbbmarketplacetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Risk-Report-2025-US.pdf
• Snappt, 2026 Mid-Year Fraud Report (vendor): snappt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Snappt-2026-Mid-Year-Fraud-Report.pdf
• HUD, fiscal 2026 Fair Market Rents, Las Vegas metro: www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr/fmrs/FY2026_code/2026summary.odn?fmrtype=Final&selection_type=county&fips=3200399999&year=2026

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