Baltimore lawyer sues Meta, Google over online ‘squatter house' networks
In the proposed class-action complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court for Maryland, Glazer and his Century 21 Downtown co-owner, Gina Gargeu, say that the proliferation of so-called "squatter" networks on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube "poses a threat to legitimate property owners and commerce."
The schemes target homes that are unoccupied while listed for sale, offering keys and tours of illegally accessed properties on social media, where they are sometimes advertised as "squatter houses." The complaint says that the illicit rentals, where "sellers" often change locks on unoccupied properties, increase the real estate companies' liability and maintenance costs. A costly eviction process further deprives them of sales income with extended vacancies, the complaint says.
"I can't believe they're getting away with it," Glazer said, noting how "blatantly" illegal the bogus rentals are. "It's going on everywhere."
He said he doesn't personally own any homes that were squatted in, though he represents property owners who do.
The tech giants have policies that prohibit fraudulent conduct, though their failure to enforce those rules "induced (the real estate company) to believe their properties and listings were not vulnerable to hijacking," the complaint says. "Despite receiving reports, complaints and public attention about the schemes, (Meta and Google) failed to remove or prevent this content."
Neither Meta nor Google immediately returned requests for comment Monday morning.
Local leaders have vowed to hold those involved in the "squatter house" trend accountable. Although squatting is largely handled as a civil matter, Baltimore prosecutors have said certain aspects of the trend may reach a criminal level, and Mayor Brandon Scott said last month there was an open police investigation regarding certain social media videos. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said last week that the state was taking "immediate action" on the issue.
Glazer, a local lawyer known for his colorful television ads, also sued Meta last month over counterfeit coins being sold on Facebook Marketplace, vowing to hold social media platforms accountable for scams. In that case, Meta is seeking until the end of July to file a formal response to the complaint, according to court records.
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