State labor officials are worried about several recent reports of people passing themselves off as licensed engineers, Lorraine Mirabella told us in Sunday's business section.
She wrote:
It's just infuriating, because if you're paying someone for their expertise, you often don't know enough to know whether their advice is legit.
So how can you protect yourself against these con artists?
Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation has searchable databases on its Web site for the professions it licenses, including professional engineers, plumbers, landscape architects and even cosmetologists.
If you're going to hire someone, go to the Maryland DLLR Web site and enter the person's name, city or license number into the system. And, based on the details in Lorraine's story, it's probably best to make sure that the license number matches the name, as well.
(photo: Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)