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You’re locked out of your car at 10 p.m. in a parking lot. You pull up your phone and search for a locksmith. The first result promises a $15 service call. Fifteen dollars to get back in your car? That sounds like a steal.
It is a steal. Just not the kind you’re hoping for.
That $15 price is bait. It exists for one reason only: to get you to make the call. What happens after that call is where the real damage begins.
## How the Scam Works
Scammer locksmiths operate on a simple formula. Advertise an impossibly low price to get the phone call. Show up and jack up the price once the customer is desperate and has no other option.
Here’s how it typically plays out. You call the number. Someone answers and quotes you $15 or $19 or $29 for a service call. They say a technician is on the way. Thirty minutes later, maybe an hour, a guy shows up in an unmarked car wearing jeans and a t-shirt. No uniform. No company branding. No identification.
He looks at your lock and suddenly the price changes. Now it’s $150. Or $250. Or $350. He’ll tell you the lock is a special type. He’ll say it requires a more advanced technique. He’ll make up reasons why the price on the phone doesn’t apply to your situation. He was counting on this moment because he knows you’re standing in a dark parking lot or locked out of your house at midnight and you’re not going to say no.
But the inflated bill is often the least of your problems.
## The Damage They Leave Behind
Many of these scammers are not trained locksmiths. They don’t know how to properly pick a lock or decode a key. So they force their way in. They use screwdrivers to pry open car doors, bending the frame and damaging the weather stripping. They drill out locks when a skilled locksmith could have picked them open in minutes. They break door frames. They damage ignition cylinders.
We’ve seen cars come into our shop with bent door frames, scratched paint, broken interior panels, and destroyed lock cylinders because a scammer used brute force instead of proper locksmith techniques. We’ve seen commercial doors with mangled frames and deadbolts that were drilled out unnecessarily.
And here’s the worst part. After they damage your property, many of these scammers will tell you they need to go get a part and they’ll be right back. They never come back. They disappear with your money and leave you with a car door that won’t seal properly, a lock that doesn’t work, or a building entrance that can’t be secured.
Now you have to call a real locksmith to fix the original problem plus all the new damage. What would have been a straightforward lockout service becomes a major repair job costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
## How to Spot a Scammer Locksmith
There are warning signs that are easy to spot once you know what to look for.
No physical location. Scammer locksmiths don’t have a brick and mortar shop you can visit. They operate out of their cars. If you can’t find a real street address with an actual storefront, that’s a red flag.
No uniform or identification. A professional locksmith company puts its technicians in uniforms with the company name and logo. They carry identification. They arrive in marked vehicles. If someone shows up in street clothes driving an unmarked car, you’re dealing with a scammer.
The price changes when they arrive. A legitimate locksmith gives you a real price on the phone and honors that price. If the number jumps significantly once the technician sees your lock, that is a classic bait and switch.
They can’t provide a business license or insurance information. Real locksmith companies are licensed, bonded, and insured. Scammers aren’t. Ask for proof and watch how fast they change the subject.
They want to drill immediately. A trained locksmith has the skills and tools to open most locks without drilling. Drilling is a last resort, not a first option. If someone shows up and immediately wants to drill your lock, they probably don’t know how to pick it.
## How Key-En-Lock Does Business
At Key-En-Lock, we do things differently because we’ve built our reputation over 25 years in Brevard County and we intend to keep it.
Our pricing starts on the phone. When you call us, we give you an upfront price based on what you describe. That’s the price you pay. No surprises when we show up. No mysterious upcharges. No bait and switch.
Our technicians show up in uniform with company identification and arrive in marked Key-En-Lock vehicles. You know exactly who is at your door.
We have a brick and mortar location you can visit. We’re a real business with a real storefront, not a guy with a screwdriver operating out of his trunk. You can walk in, meet us, and see our operation for yourself.
We’re licensed, bonded, and insured. If anything goes wrong, you’re protected. Scammers offer no such protection because they’ll be gone before you even realize there’s a problem.
Most importantly, we have the training and tools to do the job right. Our technicians know how to open locks without destroying them. They know how to get into cars without bending frames or breaking panels. They know how to work on commercial doors without damaging the hardware. Because that’s what real locksmiths do.
## Don’t Let a Cheap Price Cost You a Fortune
That $15 service call is never $15. It’s the opening move in a scam designed to separate you from as much money as possible while delivering the worst possible service. And the damage these scammers leave behind can cost you far more than a legitimate locksmith would have charged in the first place.
When you’re locked out, take a breath before you call. Look for a local company with a physical location and real reviews. Ask for pricing upfront. Make sure the technician who arrives looks like a professional.
Or just save yourself the trouble and call Key-En-Lock at (321) 224-5625. We’ll give you an honest price, show up looking like professionals, and get you back in without destroying your property. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
