Scores of unlicensed locksmiths rip off customers and businesses alike, consumers warned

Phoney businesses, fake invoices,credit card trickery, unneeded lock removals consumers are being warned of these cons and more as unlicensed locksmiths rip off customers and legitimate businesses alike.

Last week, CBC News told the story of Calgary landlord who refused to pay a locksmith whenhe tried to charge her $773.85 for a job that was quoted at about $300and wouldn't provide an itemizedinvoice to explain the discrepancy.

• Calgary landlord refuses to pay locksmith after price nearly triples, no invoice provided

Tips then poured in to CBCNewsfrom people who were victims of price gouging, intimidation, sketchy business practicesand property destruction when dealing with people claiming to belocksmiths in paid ads that appearedat the top ofGoogle search results as well as from concerned locksmiths who say the practices givethe whole industry a black eye.

SteveBochenski, who's been a locksmith for 35 years, says he hears all the time about people who have been taken advantage of by what he believes to beunlicensedcons and even fell prey himself.

"They advertised on theinternetwith my address andbusiness name and a different phone number," saidBochenski, who owns Mobile Locksmith Inc. in Calgary.

"I called him up and said, 'You're using my business name' and he told me it'd take a couple of weeks but they'd take it down."

Secret sting operation

Bochenskisaid the ad was taken down eventually, but the damage was done.He contacted his lawyer, who said he needed to find out who they were.

"I set up a sting with a lock that looked easy to pick but it was actually really hard to pick and I called them out,"Bochenskisaid.

Hefilmed the man claiming to be a locksmith,who destroyed the lock and used a drill instead of a pick.Bochenskipaid him and got an invoice.

"He chargedGST, he charged $250 cash and noGSTnumber on the invoicethey're phoney invoices," he said, adding that there was no way to identify the person or company on the paper.

Bochenskisays the man caught in his sting operation was eventually charged and fined $300 but it wasn't much of a deterrent.

"He paid it and then went out to work again right away.So, they busted him again and then he left the country and didn't show up in court."

Bochenskisaid generally he does upwardof $30,000 in work each month, butin one month when his business name and address were being used fraudulently, he made only $5,000.

He says it happens all the time, to him and to other legitimate locksmiths. He's had an apprenticefor the past three years, but says he can't offer full-time work because of how much business is being stolen by fakes.

'You were completely scammed'

ChristineMacInnessays she called a locksmith she found in a Google ad after getting locked out of her house last April.

The first thing thatMacInnesthought was strange was that the man showed up in an unmarked vehicle and didn't have any visible ID badge or card.

"I have two locks so at first he tried to pick them and then he said, 'Oh,this a seven-pin lock:it's really complicated so I'll have to drill it out," she said.

"And I just thought, 'Do what you have to do, I need to get in.'"

MacInnessaid he then quoted her a price of $170 to drill out each of her two locks, which she found unsettling having seen a rate of $15 quoted online.

Butwhen it came time to pay, the price had again escalated.

"He ended up charging me $540 for everything," she said.

After speaking with her fianc,MacInnessaid she realized how overpriced $540was and eventually got in contact with someone she confirmed was licensed.

"I brought the drilled out lock from my house and he told me it was an easy,pick-able lock that should have cost me max $200," she said.

"He said, 'You were completely scammed. It happens all the time in Calgary. They go unlicensed and are able to do this. You didn't need either of your locks drilled out.'"

'I felt so vulnerable'

MacInnessaid the so-called locksmith knew he could take advantage of her because she had a fussy baby on her hands and wanted to get in right away.

"He knewhe could do whatever he wanted and charge me whatever he wanted," she said.

"I felt so vulnerable, and I'm sickened by the fact that he did that to me and probably many others as well."

Tips to protect yourself

Nate Ryder, vice-president of theProfessional Locksmiths Association of Alberta, saysthere are a number of things people can do to avoid being duped.

"Ask for credentials," he said. "In Alberta, all locksmiths have to be licensed under the Security Services and Investigators Act."

In order to be licensed as a locksmith in Alberta, a person must be a certified journeyman orregistered as an apprentice training in Alberta. Locksmith apprenticeships last three years, including a minimum of 1,560 hours of on-the-job experience and eight weeks of technical training a year.

They must alsopass a criminal record check.

Ryder said locksmiths, when asked, should be able to produce their licencewhich looks similar to a drivers licence.

He also warnedthat no accredited locksmith would come out for $15, the price of many locksmiths in Calgary listed in ads at the top of Google search results.

"Anyone who is offering any kind of locksmith services for a fee of less than 60 to 70 bucks is a red flag," he said. "No one is going to offer a service for that cheap."

Further, Ryder said it's illegal under the Criminal Code to carry picks or bypass tools or anything essentially used to break and enter unless you're a licensed locksmith.

"Obviously, locksmiths perform a legal break-and-enter for people who own that property," he said. "But it is actually illegal and people can be charged."

According to the Criminal Code, someone convicted of breaking and entering with intent could face up to life in prison for breaking into a dwelling.

Watch for false addresses

Bochenskialso offered a few tips to avoid being victimized.

"What they'll do is take an addressfrom anywhere aTimHortons, car dealership, a residential house," he said.

He suggests people check to ensurethe business exists physically and isn't using a fake address for example, by checking that it appears in a GoogleStreetviewphotoor checking thedatabaseof registered locksmiths on theProfessional Locksmiths Association of Alberta's website.

Many of the fake websitesuse multiple phone numbers that are sent to call centres out of the country, he said.

Bochenskisaid some scammers will alsoclaim their credit card machines aredown and demand cash, even insisting on following customers to an ATM.

"They'llbe letting you into your car and they'll hold on to your keys until you pay them. They'll hold you hostage, but you won't find someone who operates that way and is licensed."

Charged by different company

That's what happened to ShellyLitt.

After calling a locksmith on Nov. 8, heshowed up in an unmarked vehicle and drilled a $25 lock that she'd purchased at Walmart.

Her mother had found the locksmith online and rates suggested it would cost no more than $75. But when it came time to pay,Littwas told it would cost $500.

"At this point, Iwas pretty uncomfortable and I wanted him to leave so I thought, 'OK,I'll just pay the ridiculous amount,'" she said.

She said the man asked for her credit card information and began giving it to someone else over the phone then said her card was declined and he didn't accept debit.

"He said, 'We can go to an ATM and I can drive you,' and I said no, because that's really suspicious."

Shelly said he was being really pushy and tried to prevent her from making phone calls, but she eventually reached her mother, who worried for her daughter's safety gave her credit card information and it was accepted.

Her motherthen called the credit card company to report a fraud and found the charge had already gone through but under a totally different business name.

The pair have since reported the incident to Alberta Consumer Protection.

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