Today Show: To Catch a Locksmith "Scammer"

why is this man breaking into our house with a crowbar no common and walk away by light why is this one destroying our lock then running from our cameras is there anything you want to say and why is this locksmith busting our door open with a drill then demanding we pay him hundreds in cash I don't have six hundred and thirty five dollars cash maybe we could go to the bank they grab you with catchy web ads promising professional service at a great price but when you're standing in the cold and call for help who's really showing up at your door I was just horrified Janis Putnam was locked out of her condo all alone so she googled the local locksmith on her phone I asked them how much is gonna cost me when they said $39 I thought oh wow I'm lucky this is gonna be good but when the locksmith got her back in the house that $39 quote was gone the new price a whopping eight hundred thirty-three dollars I couldn't think I was like almost physically ill experts say locksmith schemes are a growing national problem so we set up our own experiment renting this home in suburban New York we hired this licensed New York City locksmith to install simple locks on our door he says any real locksmith would pick it easily he showed us in just seconds he's charged for this job about $100 there's no damage to the lock it's a minimal charge to a customer and it's the proper way to perform that service on a lockout but what would other locksmiths do to find out we installed hidden cameras covering every angle around our door then we had this NBC producer pose as the homeowner locked out after forgetting her keys inside yes I'm locked out of my house and I need someone to help me get back in over two days we had her call eight locksmiths all advertising 24-hour service in our town I'm so glad you finally got here as each locksmiths showed up we were watching with our expert from a control room inside I forget here this guy's company touts $15 locksmith service but when he gets to our door it's $100 on the $15 service fee and he's just warming up instead of picking our lock he tries to pry the door open with a board when that doesn't work he grabs our doorknob with pliers and rips it off now we're on the hook for a brand new lock and doorknob total price $223 Jeff Rossen from NBC News how are you is there a reason that you charge two hundred and twenty three dollars for a job that experts say should cost about $100 you never tried to pick the lock you didn't ask her for a ID to make sure that she actually lives here is there anything you want to say believe it or not in most states locksmiths don't have to go through background checks or be licensed this next guy wrecks our lock and charges us $253 what is your past experience what makes you a professional locksmith I didn't say I'm professional he destroys our lock then conveniently sells us a new one the price $265 you didn't even try to pick the lock you just drilled right through with that because you don't think a locks in the movies they pick locks you can pick a lock the movies huh remember our real life expert picked the lock in seconds but of all the locksmiths we called we were most shocked by this one the drill the lock did that be 275 well I need a lock right one is 225 we're already up to $500 and he hasn't even started working yet then he begins to drill final price this time $635 is horrible that's ridiculous it's $100 jobs 600,000 want even more outrageous he wants it all in cash look at a car machine goes away there's no way you could take us I don't have six hundred and thirty five dollars cash maybe we could go to the bank or something the bank when our producer resists the locksmith calls his boss and the price jumps again six hundred eighty five you heard him six hundred to eighty five dollars then the boss tries to pressure our producer I don't carry over six hundred dollars in cash on me tell him to take me to the ATM and then he will drive me back home um Jeff Rossen from NBC News that's when we jumped in experts say you could have picked this lock in under a minute and it's a $100 job you charged her six hundred eighty five dollars and then demanded she pay you cash I think that's right in the end our expert says four out of the eight locksmiths we called charged us too much and mangled our locks in the process and there's more we found many of these online locksmiths are using fake addresses as making it nearly impossible to track them down even if you do have a complaint we found some listed in parking lots and abandoned buildings even churches and schools best way for consumers to protect themselves but there's actually a way to keep yourself out of that situation entirely today before there's ever an emergency go in your local town and look for a legitimate locksmith you know with the storefront where there's an actual manager and the boss get their card program them their number in your phone so if you're in a jam you have that in your phone you're not kind of the last minute googling of looking for sounds like good advice Jeff Rossen thank you so much and thanks to audit ooh yeah I'm great our research is really terrific

Channel: LockAware

Views: 351,681

Rating: 4.7577415 out of 5

Keywords: Lockaware, Locksmith Scam, Locksmith Fraud, Today Show, Jeff Rossen, NBC, NBCUniversal (TV Station Owner)

Id: 0JmVAHBCcq8

Length: 5min 29sec (329 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 15 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/PenguinLocksmith]

But you know most people that fall for this are the same people that look down their nose when you charge them $50+ for a service call, plus labor for a lockout, while someone else said/advertised the'll come out for $15-$25.

Also not one showed up in a marked vehicle with their businesses info and lic #, that should be your first clue that odds are more than good that these are scammers.

[u/jacobnbr1]

This was dated 2015. I am also one that shows up in an unmarked vehicle but I introduce myself, give a business card and show my bond I'd before I even start. In my area smith Van's were getting targeted, stolen and broken into so I never lettered the new one. I'm also a brick and mortar business store and consider my work "on demand" vs mobile.

[u/ibexlocksmith]

There are no set prices in the industry. I'm an expert too and $100 is a garbage price. "Expert"🙄

[u/ElBal4]

Got this happening in Australia as well.

[u/Rocketpotamus]

Why is this dipshit narrator screaming?

[u/jacobnbr1]

My question is 100.00 reasonable for picking a kwickset or schlage? I know the 'Professional' in the video says its reasonable but I charge 85.00 if the lock can be manipulated within 10 minutes. I'm speaking strictly residential.