Locksmith scams are quite common, and people often fall victim to them because they are always in trouble whenever they try to reach out to a locksmith. It’s obvious that getting locked out of your house or your car can put you in a panic situation where all you’d want would be to find a locksmith and get a key as soon as possible.
In such a stressful situation, people often don’t pay attention to the details of the locksmith they are calling, and that’s where all the trouble lies. There are always certain red flags that you are supposed to pay attention to whenever you seek help in such situations.
How Does A Locksmith Scam Work?
This whole scam usually begins with an advertisement for a company that doesn’t even exist. In a nutshell, you shouldn’t trust every single ad you see on Google or on social media because they can be fake. In fact, such shady companies’ websites do look extremely legitimate, and sometimes they even rank high on Google. This is the reason why you need to be extra careful when hiring someone.
So what happens is that when you call any of such shady companies or individuals, they’ll first give you a very low quote so that you don’t think twice before hiring them. Once the deal is done, they’ll send an “expert” to your place, and that “expert” will then claim that the problem with your lock is bigger than what it looks like. He’ll eventually drill the entire lock and then ask you money that will be 10 times more than the quote given to you on the call. This is what a locksmith scam looks like, so whether you are searching “Rochester locksmith” on Google or any other locksmith in any city, just pay attention to the details and do everything you can to make sure that you are hiring a professional and authentic person for the job.
How Can You Spot A Locksmith Scam?
For someone who doesn’t know how these scams work and how to be aware of the red flags, here are some ways that can help you spot a fake locksmith;
1-The Ad Will Be Too Good For You To Believe It
If the ad shows you extremely low quotes, that’s the biggest sign that the company or the individual is shady. It’s not just about locksmiths, in fact, whenever you see some service provider offering you unbelievably low prices, don’t believe it. This is a common technique used by people to scam others.
2-Slow Response
The locksmith service should be quick if it’s authentic. If someone is taking your call and then asking you to wait for an hour or two, this can be another red flag because they aren’t as close to you as they are claiming.
3-Not Accepting Credit Cards
The credit card bill is easy to trace, which is why a fake locksmith will try his best to convince you to pay by cash or use your debit card if you don’t have the cash in hand. This doesn’t happen in all cases, but here we are talking about being extra careful, so why take any risks? If someone’s not accepting your credit card payment, then you better switch and look for some other service provider for a safer side.
4-Vague Call
If the company you are talking to is authentic and legit, the call will be clear, and there won’t be any confusion about the quoted price. If the person on the call is telling you an extremely low price quote and on top of it, if he is adding “or more” to it, this can be a red flag. That “more” is what you should be careful about here.
These are some basic ways to spot a fake locksmith. The signs are quite clear if you pay attention to them, so the next time you look for a locksmith, just take the precautions and do your homework before hiring someone.
