Tips to avoid getting ripped off by locksmith scams on Google

We put together a quick list of tips to avoid locksmith scams on Google. While these tips are focused on the locksmith industry, they can all be used when looking at any business on Google to avoid getting ripped off. We hope you find these tips useful, we know by following them you can save lots of money and a few headaches!

1. Never call 800, 866 or 877 numbers when looking for a locksmith. Most real local businesses do not use them and if they do they also list a local number on their site. Always call a local number.
2. Never call a number off a Google, Yelp or other business directory site. These sites all have major security issues that allow scammers to easily manipulate information. Even legitimate business listings get “hijacked” and have information changed. Go to the locksmith’s website and call the number listed there.
3. Always ask for the physical address of their shop and look it up online if you can. Most genuine locksmith companies have shops. If they say they are “remodeling”, “in between locations” or are a “mobile locksmith company” hang up the phone and call someone else.
4. Ask and see if the business is locksmith is listed with the local Better Business Bureau. Scammers and Spammers alike will not have a listing with them because they firstly would not get approved and second would have too many complaints to stay in business. If the locksmith is not a member of the BBB this is not a deal breaker, but it should certainly give you some pause.
5. Make sure the locksmith that comes out is driving a marked vehicle of some type and the technician is wearing a uniform that matches. Scammers used unmarked vehicles because they don’t want to be found after they rip you off. If they pull up in a unmarked vehicle tell them to go away. If they threaten to call the police for theft of service, call the police for them; they will leave.
6. If they show up in a marked vehicle but you are still skeptical, ask the locksmith to show you their locksmith license. They are required by law to have one and should not be doing work without it. If they can’t or won’t show it to you call another locksmith.
7. Lastly ask how much it is going to cost and what they need to do before they start working. Most scammers try to jump right into the work without explaining anything to you. They will then proceed to do unnecessary work or install hardware that was not requested, then hand you a bill that is 5 – 10 times what you were quoted.If the locksmith will not take the time to explain what they are going to do and how much it will cost, send them away and call another company. Once even the scammers have done work for you they can force you to pay by calling the police and claiming theft of service. A legitimate locksmith will explain the work before they do it and how much it will cost that way you never get taken for a ride.

Hopefully this will help you when choosing a locksmith or any business really.

The Unpickable Lock is Here in Dallas!

If you have a warehouse, office or home that needs a true high security, unpickable lock then look no further than the Mul-T-Lock MT5.  At Anytime Locksmith Dallas we are one of the few authorized Mul-T-Lock dealers in Dallas, TX.  Mul-T-Lock locks can only be purchased and installed by authorized locksmiths.  Now they are more expensive than normal locks, but they are literally unpickable!  So what makes their locks so special? Let’s take a look.

The first thing to note about Mul-T-Lock is their unique design
which is way more complex than a standard lock.

Normal locks use pins that slide up and down inside the lock’s cylinder matching the cut lines of the key head.  When all the pins line up the cylinder can be turned allowing the lock to be released.  Because this method is predicable even high grade locks that use it  are very easy to pick.

Mul-T-Lock uses a unique milled pattern for their keys and locks instead of standard elevated points on the key head. Multiple pins are used on the outside and inside of each pin shaft giving the lock a much higher level of unique combinations. By not using a simple and predictable one way pattern, the lock  automatically becomes more secure and harder to pick.

To successfully pick a Mul-T-Lock someone would have to be able to manipulate the two levels of each pin shaft inside the cylinder and predict the cuts along the shaft of the key, all of which are completely unique to each lock.   This allows for a much higher number of possible key combinations making the lock extremely difficult to predict.  Even the most experienced thief cannot do this successfully, making the lock impossible to pick.

Another thing to mention is that normal locks can easily be drilled out using everday power drills allowing a thief access to your property fast.  Mul-T-Locks are made out of a unique combination of metals and alloys that cannot be drilled through.  They literally burn up drill bits.  This means that the lock is not only pick proof, it is also drill proof!

The second thing that sets Mul-T-Lock apart is duplicate keys
can only be made by authorized personnel

Unlike normal keys which can be made at any local hardware store, Walmart or locksmith, duplicate Mul-T-Lock keys can only be made by the locksmith that sold the lock.  To take a step further, each locksmith is required to register each Mul-T-Lock sale with the State of Texas.  In that registration the driver’s license number of the person who bought the lock is kept on file; that registration is kept both on the state level and at the local locksmith shop.  When someone comes in trying to get a duplicate key made for that lock, only people with valid photo ids listed on the registration card are allowed to request and purchase duplicate keys.

Disgruntled employees or thieves can no longer make copies of your key.

There are many ways to secure your property with a wide variety of locks today.  But if you are serious about protecting your possessions, Mul-T-Lock is the only solid choice you can make.