Owners of Fraudulent Locksmith company arrested

The owners of Dependable Locks were arrested by Federal Agents at the company's Florida headquarters. They are being charged with instructing their employees to overcharge and deceive customers as well as wire and mail fraud laundering, and money laundering.

NY Fraudulent Locksmith Sued In Wisconsin

NY based Locksmiths Inc. has been sued in Wisconsin for doing business under 113 different business names, listing a different, fake address for each business name and a different phone number for each listing, all which rang through to the one company.

Majority of customers wouldn't do business with a company that uses misleading and false advertising techniques, but most of them aren't aware that it's even happening. Arizona has been inundated with fraudulent locksmiths using these same practices. Our local phone books and internet listings are riddled with hundreds, if not thousands, of business names that list false addresses and whose phone numbers ring to an out of state call center. Finding the reliable, local locksmiths among these fraudulent listings is a time consuming and almost impossible task for a consumer, many of which are in an emergency lock-out situation and don't have the time or resources to figure it out. They believe that the printer of the phone book or the host of the internet listing site has "policed" their listings, which majority of the time is not the case. Many of the phone books and internet sites purchase their listings from another source, where the fraudulent listings are already posted, spreading their poison even further and causing more harm to the local locksmiths that are being robbed of revenue.

The article states, "The single company in New York gave the illusion of being many local companies by advertising in telephone directories and internet listings, a practice that has come under scrutiny of consumer investigators across the country".

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_4e39500a-cb2c-11de-bde2-001cc4c03286.html

FREE LOCK OUT SERVICE on your birthday!

Birthdays are for family, friends and fun. Nothing would ruin the celebration quicker than locking yourself out of your car or home - but we are here with your best birthday present!

We are the only Arizona Locksmith that offers free lock out service on your birthday!

Call us at 480-668-7233 for immediate auto or home lock out service!

*ID proving proof of actual birthdate and proof of auto ownership or home ownership/residence required

Find your local Locksmith Shop NOW just to be safe!

Check out our past posts or our website for consumer tips on making sure you are choosing a local locksmith! Feel free to call us or even come by our local Mesa Locksmith shop to share your story if you've been a victim of these wannabe locksmiths.

Channel 3 KTVK Gary Harper 3 On Your Side - Locksmith Undercover Investigation

Gary Harper is back at it, catching the phony locksmiths at the only thing they know how to do, rip off unsuspecting Arizona residents! Unfortunately for all of us good guys, they are really good at it.
Here's an excerpt from the article, full story is at the bottom...

3 On Your Side has a consumer warning just in case you decide to call a locksmith.
Let me say right off the bat that there are a lot of good, reputable locksmiths out there.
But, by the same token, there are just as many unscrupulous locksmiths and, given the chance, they will take you for a ride.
Ulinger is in the health care industry and pretty much works out of her car.
"Somehow I managed to lock my keys in my trunk," she said.
So Ulinger did what most people might do and called a locksmith.
"They quoted me $35 for the trip out here and $15 to get into my car," she said.
Ulinger says after hours of waiting, the locksmith did show up.
"He looks at me and says, 'OK, it's gonna be $125,'" Ulinger said. "I'm like, 'Excuse me? It's been three hours, you're late and you gave me a quote of $50.'"
Ulinger's issue has been an ongoing complaint in the locksmith industry.
In fact, two years ago 3 On Your Side confronted a locksmith after quoting our undercover producer over the telephone one price to unlock her car but had a much higher price when he actually showed up to the scene.
Since that report aired, 3 On Your Side decided to see if the locksmith industry has changed its ways.
Our same producer called several locksmiths saying her keys were locked in her car, but she always received the same standard answer: "You're looking at a $35 service call to get the technician out there and a minimum of $15 to open the vehicle, depending on the locking mechanism and how the technician opens the vehicle."
But chances are it will be more -- a lot more. Locksmiths cover themselves by saying a minimum $15 labor charge. But when they arrive, that minimum charge is frequently jacked up and in most cases, consumers are in no mood to negotiate.
By the way, just because you call a locksmith with a local area code, don't be fooled. Many local numbers are transferred out of state and then they'll dispatch some fly-by-night locksmith here in Phoenix to your rescue.
For tips on how not to be ripped off, visit www.ftc.gov.

You can find our list of Consumer Tips to hiring a safe and reputable locksmith on our website and on previous posts here. If you've been taken by one of these criminals please feel free to share your story with us so that we can educate others of the real danger out there. You're welcome to stay anonymous!


The full story: http://www.azfamily.com/ontv/teased/stories/phoenix-3oys-news-071609-locksmiths.490b138b.html

Lock Bumping - 90% of America's Home ARE AT RISK!

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Following information is courtesy of http://www.lockbumping.org/:

-Lock bumping can open 90+% of American homes which use an old style cylinder lock which is vulnerable to lock bumping key.

-Your home's door lock can even be bumped by a 10 year old child.

-Anyone can make bump keys in 5 minutes or less.

-When a lock bumping key is used to break into your house then there is no signs of forced entry or damage to the lock. This makes the insurance companies very weary in paying for the claim.

-You could loose everything and not get compensated because of a lock bumping key.

-With the digital underworld abuzz about this new home security threat, safety experts say it's time to protect yourself against lock bumping and bump keys.