Beware of Locksmith Scams
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Internet Fraud Reports
State Attorney General Compaints - Minnesota - Wisconsin - Iowa - North Dakota - South Dakota
Federal Trade Commission -File a Complaint - Consumer Alert: Keys to Hiring a Locksmith
Legal Locksmith Website - Community Resource, What YOU can Do!, Larry Friberg, proprieter
Over the past several years we have observed a growing trend: underqualified individuals providing locksmith services which are far below the standards of our industry and which, in many cases, grievously defraud the customer.
Typically the 'locksmith' will advertise under many names and local numbers in a phone directory or on the internet with all of the listings routed to the same remote dispatch. The remote dispatch will quote a price for a service and then send the call to a local contractor.
The fraud part comes in when the contractor arrives on the scene and does not have the professional training to perform the service as requested: property damage, low-quality hardware, and undisclosed charges are the result.
In addition, the remotely dispatched locksmiths may be using names which are similar or even identical to an actual local shop.
The worst part is that by the time the customer has become a victim, often having clearly paid too much for shoddy work, they want to leave the whole situation behind them. The process of submitting a claim to the FBI, FTC or Attorney General seems like adding insult to injury.
These fradulent practices are damaging the reputation of our entire industry. The most important thing that Professional Locksmiths can do to combat these "Phonies and Copycats" is to convince our defrauded customers to submit complaints to the proper authorities.