Locked out? Don’t fall for these locksmith scams. Our industry is plagued by a large number of phony locksmith firms that have been taking advantage of customers for years.  These “scammers” are not licensed by the State of Florida and typically operate out of personal unmarked vehicles. They are dispatched by companies with nothing more that a large Yellow Page ad or internet presence, and a bank of phones.

Here are some scams currently plaguing our area:

1. Low service call usually between $15 and $35. When they arrive, they tell you “You have a special car or lock and it will be more”. Most consumers, feeling that they are now stuck, will often “OK” the higher cost not realizing what that cost is. If the customer balks, they are trained to pressure you to pay.
2. Falsely stating the strength and security of locksets. Many customers have been charged hundreds of dollars to drill open an easy-to-pick lock. After it is destroyed, you have no choice but to buy a new lock for which they charge you 4 to 5 times its suggested list price. They give you a choice of areplacement and tell you it is a high security lock. MEDTECK is most common name given and MEDTEK does not exist. They tell you this lock cannot be drilled or picked when actually it is a cheap lock that is usually interior to your old one.
3. Stating a lockset cannot be rekeyed and selling you replacements that are cheap, lack a brand name, then charging hundreds for them. 99% of household locks can be rekeyed; only on rare occasions have to be replaced.
4. Claiming to be a local shop with a local business address. Currently in Jupiter there are only two locksmith shops with storefronts and certified locksmiths. The Yellow Pages show at least 15 and Google shows 8! These companies represent themselves as being local, and give you a false guarantee that when the lock breaks, they will be around to fix it.