6 Ways of Spotting a Fraudulent Locksmith

If you lock yourself out of your house or have locked the room with keys inside, calling a London locksmith becomes a necessity. Locksmiths are the professionals who open your locked doors without breaking or harming your doors or locks. Calling in someone to your house or trusting someone to open locks that you have put for your safety sounds more risky. Thus, you should have complete trust to not become a victim of scam. Even though locksmiths are trust worthy people but people are good and bad both. Thereby, some locksmiths might try to scam you and overcharge you for the job.

You need to be very careful while choosing a locksmith. Here are some common scams that you should be aware of while hiring someone to do your lock job. Ask these questions and you will get to know whether the locksmith is trust worthy or not.

1. Do They Have Qualifications or Accreditations?

Fake certifications are an easy way to make someone believe in their authenticity. Many of the scammer locksmiths would advertise themselves as being certified from different organizations. To make someone believe in their authenticity, they also claim to be vetted by a third party or audited by them.

The most common way of deceiving people is advertising themselves being DBS checked. DBS is a safety check provided by the government to employers while recruiting individuals. They provide you a list of people who should not be allowed to work in places where there are kids and elderly people. You would not want someone who is barred from working with older adults and children in your house. You must not just believe them on their word. Always ask for proof of their certifications, and an honest locksmith would provide you with proof of accreditation immediately.

2. How Can They Advertise Cheap Charges Without Seeing the Lock?

If you search for a locksmith on the internet, you’ll see unrealistic rates. Most of the locksmiths that are scammers usually advertise their rates from 30-39 pounds for the job. It is a common trait among scammers. If someone is specifying rates before even looking or hearing about the case, there are chances that he will overcharge you for their services.

These scammer locksmiths buy the first slot for being advertised at the top of the list. It makes it quite obvious that they use the money to advertise themselves cheaper to rip you off. Advertising costs and advertising for being on top is certainly more expensive. The customer has to pay the price for the advertisements, and they will overcharge you for what they advertise.

3. Police Job Is to Protect You and Not Make Recommendation, Isn’t It?

The police is an institution that you trust with your heart and soul. They provide you with safety, and security is associated with them is an automatic trust gainer. Most scammers use this to their advantage; they claim to be working with the police or claim recommendation by them. It is highly unlikely that police recommend some private party for their work. It is not the mandate of the police department to make recommendations.

Police take services from locksmiths but do not recommend them to the public. Recommending someone you don’t have authority over is a risky task, and institutions do not prefer to jeopardize their trust at any cost.

4. Why do they Quote Imprecise Prices?

A scammer locksmith would give you quotes that will be to lure you in for hiring them. They would give you the low prices that they have quoted. They will try to drive the conversation away from the topic of price. They won’t specify the services that they can provide to you. They would not also want the details about the job too, in some cases. Greedy scammers would quote you the cheapest advertised cost and then would exaggerate it once they arrive on the site.

A genuine locksmith would give you a quote almost accurate after inquiring about the details. A true locksmith would not change his rates after quoting them and would only ask for the required material.

5. Avoid Contacting Subcontractors

You must know who you are dealing with. Many of the companies would hire subcontractors and give them to do your task. You must be very clear in dealing with them first. You should know that they are subcontractors or they’ll do it themselves. You should take complete details of the subcontractors first. Knowing their name and contact details for after services or if some problem occurs is very important. Also, clarify who you have to pay because this confusion would only cost you. They would rip you off by charging you twice as they don’t provide clear instructions of payments.

6. Scammers Drill The Locks While Professionals Save It

The easiest way to open something is to break it. An expert would evaluate things that he has to open and develop techniques without harming them. The same is the case with locksmiths; these professionals would evaluate and then, with their expertise, would open the door for you. A fraud locksmith would directly opt for drilling the lock, and opening it, in most cases, is unnecessary. Scammers do it because they lack expertise and want to charge you more by

adding drilling costs. It is also very important that sometimes professionals also suggest drilling as it seems the only resort after several attempts.

Final Notes

In the end, you need to be vigilant when inviting a locksmith to open locks for you. Frauds and cases of theft have been increasing so it is better to protect yourself by keeping scammers at bay. These scammers can rip you off your money and valuables too. By keeping above mentioned points in mind, you can choose the best locksmiths. Make a checklist and see whether all the checks are ticket or not. If any of the check is left, there is something wrong. Take charge of it instantly