A Las Vegas man claiming to be a licensed real estate practitioner and a female assistant have been arrested and jailed for renting out vacant homes belonging to seasonal residents.

Emilio Gonzales and Melissa Cowan advertised properties for rent on CraigsList. They asked potential renters to sign leases and took security deposits totalling several thousand dollars. Rents were collected in cash at various locations the pair specified.

The scam fell apart when the real owners showed up and found people living in their vacation homes. Police arrested Gonzales and Cowan by following a tenant to the agreed upon spot to pay rent. The two are being held on burglary, conspiracy and fraud charges.

Source: KVBC-TV