Our accredited and professional locksmiths in Melbourne want to send a timely reminder to Melburnians to be on the look-out for locksmith scams. Locksmith scammers are often unaccredited and unskilled. They will win your approval by quoting low prices and then change the quote once they’re already on the job thus scamming people out of many more dollars than expected. Not only that, but they often botch the job, and another locksmith needs to be called to fix the problem costing even more hard-earned cash. It has been revealed that some of these ‘locksmiths’ are backpackers or students who are unqualified and unable to really solve the issue without causing damage.

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How do people fall for this?

The scammers place very legitimate looking adverts on the web that lead to professional looking websites. They prey on people who are desperate for an emergency locksmith and don’t have time to check them out properly because the adverts are professional looking and everything seems in order, the unsuspecting person places the call.

Warning signs that you may have fallen for a Locksmith Scam

  1. The website address is too generic – something like locksmithsinMelbourne or locksmithservice
  2. Although the website is slick looking – it has very little information about products and services other than a low call out price and lots of references to emergency locksmiths and a list of suburbs they’ll attend. If there’s no business location (street address) and only a phone number – don’t call.
  3. They arrive in unbranded clothes and unbranded vehicles with no identification
  4. Answers to your questions are vague or full of jargon
  5. Initial attempts to solve the problem serve no results and suddenly the price goes up because the cost only covered the initial ‘try’.
  6. If you agree to further charges you may be asked to pay immediately and the invoice will lack the usual legitimate business information such as an ABN, office address, contact details or GST.

How to tell if a locksmith is legitimate

  1. The website should have a proper name and domain address such as amlock.com.au
  2. Their street address should be listed on the website
  3. They should advertise their accreditations on the website
  4. There should be testimonials and reviews
  5. There should be authentic photos of staff and products
  6. When you call them – they should be forthcoming, knowledgeable and helpful
  7. Signs of branding should be on their website i.e. vans, shirts etc
  8. Their invoices should have an ABN and business address

Locksmiths Collingwood

As a company that has been in business for many years, we are concerned to see people fall for locksmith scammers. If you need a 24-hour emergency locksmith, please give us a call –our mobile locksmiths, emergency commercial locksmiths and emergency domestic locksmiths are able to assess your home security or business security and give you on-site quotations to suit your budget. We service Melbourne’s inner city suburbs – Fitzroy, Carlton, Northcote, Preston and more.