Lawmakers hear victims’ accounts as Maryland weighs online‑listing verification to curb rental scams

Delegate Eric Embry (presenting HB1456) told the committee the bill aims to prevent rental‑listing scams by requiring platforms that host property advertisements to verify that the poster is authorized to list the Maryland property and to retain verification evidence. "This is about preventing a problem at a systems level," Embry said, describing online fraud where renters pay deposits and later discover the listing was fake.

Legal aid and tenant advocates described multiple cases in which renters put down substantial deposits, moved in, then were evicted when owners discovered an unauthorized occupant. Jane Dean of the Courtroom Advocacy Project said a client paid a security deposit and used the fraudulent lease to enroll children in school before the owner discovered the deception; advocates urged the committee to adopt prevention tools. Public Justice Center attorney Albert Turner called the approach "root‑cause" prevention.

Maryland Realtors urged caution, noting multiple technical paths by which a bona fide listing travels from a broker’s MLS through IDX feeds to third‑party sites. Lisa May said verification at every redistribution point could become impractical and urged narrow drafting so MLS listings and brokered feeds are not disrupted. Embry said he was open to targeted amendments limiting verification to Maryland properties and the initial posting process and to work with stakeholders to make the requirement workable.

The committee heard that platforms such as Zillow, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are common vectors for scams; proponents argued that existing platform verification tools (for example, as used by Airbnb and Zillow) show verification is technically feasible. No vote was taken; sponsors and stakeholders agreed to continue technical negotiations on narrow, implementable verification steps and MLS carveouts.