Day-in and day-out, we hear horror stories from our customers who almost got scammed by a scammer locksmith. Unfortunately, many times, people fall for the scams of these criminals.
Today, a very smart Calgary accountant did what we suggest everyone to do, think and refuse to pay. Mariya Savchyshyn owns a condo in Calgary and rents it out. She said her tenants asked her to replace their lock, and a Google search listed Locksmith Calgary at the top, so she called them without doing her searches to see that they are a scammer locksmith.
Finding out if a locksmith company is a scam is quite easy, here are a few simple steps from Terry Whin-Yates to catch them.
Tips from Terry Whin-Yates on spotting a locksmith scammer
- Do they provide unbelievably cheap pricing? The $29, $19, $39 dollar locksmith ads are a scam.
- Do they operate under different business names? Scammer locksmiths often run under different business names to shield their identity.
- Is their Google Maps location legitimate? Many locksmith scammers have their Google Maps locations out of gas stations, Starbucks locations, restaurants, or even a middle of a forest (we’ve seen it all). Pull up their location on Google street view and see where their address is, if it’s another business, it’s a fake. If it’s a house, it’s a scam. For example, the Locksmith Calgary scammer presents their address as 724 80 Ave SW, Calgary AB. This is a fake location.
Locksmith Calgary Scammer at 724 80 Ave SW
- Are they licensed? In British Columbia for example, you can check if a locksmith company is licensed or not by inputting their security license number into the following page – Security Licence Status Verification.
- Check their phone number! Copy their phone number into Google, does it appear in locations like Toronto and other provinces or states where the locksmith shouldn’t be? It’s a fake.
- Ask for the name of the business owner and a link to his or her biography, if the company is hesitant to provide the information of the owner of the company, stay away.
- Ask for ID and documentation. Do not let them start work without the company showing their security license, drivers license, insurance, and city business license. If they say “I don’t have it” or “I can send it to you later” or if it looks fake, refuse them doing the work, refuse to pay and send them away.
- If the locksmith gets aggressive or pushy with their tactics or if at any time you feel uneasy or uncomfortable, dial 911 immediately.
- Do they have a reputation? If you can’t find anything about them online such as a social media following or a clean track record, do not let them work on your property as they are most likely a locksmith scammer. Reputable locksmiths and locksmith business owners like Terry Whin-Yates, the owner of Mr. Locksmith and Mr. ProLock have a clean track record.
- Do they show up in an unmarked vehicle, or does their vehicle simply say “locksmith service” ? They are most likely a scam, do not allow them entry or to do any work on your property.
- Do they refuse to provide an invoice on the spot? Are there inflated or hidden charges? Refuse to pay and if they get aggressive, dial 911.
- Do they have a GST number on the invoice? Check if it’s legitimate here.
- Do they list their locksmiths on their website like on a team page with their name and pictures like we do with locksmith Vancouver? If not, you have to wonder why and what they’re hiding.
There are many more warning signs to catch a scammer locksmith. Just use your head and if you can’t determine if they’re fake or not, don’t use them!
One big warning sign which Mariya Savchyshyn should have caught onto was the fact that the scammer locksmith, Locksmith Calgary used the tenant’s phone to phone her. Why wouldn’t they use their own cell number? Because these scammer locksmith’s do not want repeat customers.
Scammer locksmiths such as locksmith Calgary operate on a one-hit basis. They scam you, and then they request an extreme amount of money and force you to pay. Because of the bad experience they provide, they don’t expect you to call back which is why they provide an illegitimate invoice with a fraudulent tax ID, a fake address and at often times as well, a fake phone number.
Thankfully, when the scammer locksmith called Mariya Savchyshyn to say that he’s done, she caught on. Locksmith Calgary refused to provide an itemized invoice for the inflated invoice which was triple the cost, $773.85 as per CBC.
“And I’m like, that’s weird, because usually the customer has to receive an invoice, look at it and then pay, right?” said Savchyshyn.
“I’m an accountant myself, and I know that no one is going to send me money until they see the invoice.”
When Savchyshyn refused to pay without knowing exactly what she was paying for — she says the company threatened to send the bill to a collection agency.
Terry Whin-Yates states that threats are common with scammer locksmiths. We’ve heard from people that the scammer locksmiths have gotten violent with violent threats, verbal threats, death threats and unfortunately much more.
“I just want to warn people because someone … might be scared because that company is scaring people by saying they’ll send them to collections,” she said.
“They might be scared and just pay $800 for a lock, it’s ridiculous.”
A scammer locksmith will have a hard time sending you to a legitimate collections agency. Collection agencies are not stupid, they will ask for supporting documentation which the scammer locksmiths will not have. Do not be fooled by the collection agency trick. If they do send you to collections, you can fight it by signing up to a low-cost service called LegalShield.
Company says invoices issued after payment
“Locksmith Calgary told CBC Calgary they don’t provide a billing service, even for larger companies, and require all payments be made before an invoice is issued.”
This should be an immediate red flag. No legitimate company issues an invoice after payment. We, for example always issue an itemized invoice before the customer pays, because that’s the correct way of doing business. If a customer has a question, we’re always there to answer that question.
It is ok to ask the locksmith who their credit card processor is for collecting payments. Credit card processors are the companies that collect your payment on behalf of the merchant and then provide the merchant with the funds. Names of some credit card processors are: Moneris, Square, Payfirma, Helcim, Stripe. If the locksmith doesn’t know or refuses to answer the question, refuse to pay. If they demand cash, refuse to pay.
“On their website, Locksmith Calgary lists their service call fee as $15 plus labour and hardware costs. A lock change is listed as $35 dollars and a lock re-key as $19.”
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For further information go to Mr. Locksmith.
Mr. Locksmith offers UL Approved heavy-duty panic and fire exit hardware suitable for a variety of door applications including wood, metal, and aluminum frame doors. A variety of electronic and security features are available. The Mr. Locksmith line of exit devices reliably secures egress doors in compliance with all applicable fire/life safety code requirements. Narrow and wide stile exit devices are available in rim, mortise, and surface or concealed rod configurations in both fire and panic-rated versions.
Our exit devices reliably secures egress doors in compliance with all applicable fire/life safety code requirements. Narrow and wide stile exit devices are available in rim, mortise and surface or concealed rod configurations in both fire- and panic-rated versions
All our Panic and Fire exit devices are heavy-duty and have all been certified to the highest industry standards and are used in schools, hospitals, and government buildings
- The breadth of available options allows for tailoring to any facility’s needs
- Designed for high use and abuse in institutional applications like schools, hospitals and government facilities, convention centers, bars, casinos, etc.
- A variety of field-configurable options are available
- Retrofit kits available to keep up with changing technology (High-Security Lock, Electronic Access Control, High-Security Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.)
Specifications and certifications are specific to each configuration. Call Mr. Lockmsith for more information.
- ANSI/BHMA A156.3 2014 Grade 1 certified
- ANSI/UL 10C (fire-rated only)
- ANSI/UL 305
- CAN/ULC-S104 (fire-rated only)
- CAN/ULC-S132
A variety of functions and trim options are available call Mr. Locksmith for more information.
Panic and Fire Door Hardware Functions
- Classroom: the key locks and unlocks the lever or knob
- Dummy: the rigid mechanical trim for pull operation
- Exit only: no outside trim
- Passage: the lever or knob is always active
- Storeroom: the key retracts the latch bolt, the lever or knob is rigid
- Electronic Access Control
- High-Security Key Access
- Integrates into any Key Control Master Key System
Popular Trims
- pull trim, 5 standard functions:
- Classroom (TP)
- Storeroom (NL)
- Dummy trim (DT)
- Passage (TP-BE)
- Exit only (EO)
Mr. Locksmith 98/99 and 33A/35A Series Panic and Fire Exit devices can be retrofitted to keep up with evolving technology with various retrofit kits. Call Mr. Locksmith for more information.
Retrofitting an existing device
- CDSI/HDSI: security dogging indicators provide at-a-glance verification of the panic device status
- QEL: electronic latch retraction with limited operational noise
- Electronic switches: can be used as part of an access control system or in a standalone application
- Request to exit (RX)
- Latchbolt monitoring (LX)
Electronic Access Control offers security solutions for every opening.
Call Mr. Locksmith for further information http://www.mrlocksmith.com/
or email: info@mrlocksmith.com
Mr. Locksmith Fire & Panic Hardware
Mr. Locksmith Fire & Panic Hardware
Mr. Locksmith Fire & Panic Hardware
Mr. Locksmith Fire & Panic Hardware
Mr. Locksmith Panic Hardware
Call Mr. Locksmith for further information http://www.mrlocksmith.com/
or email: info@mrlocksmith.com
For On-line and Hands-on Locksmith Training Dates and Cities near you by Terry Whin-Yates for Beginners, Intermediate, Advanced Locksmithing as well as my Covert Methods of Entry, Non-destructive Methods of Entry and to purchase the Famous “Dumb Key Force Tool” that opens Smart Key locks in seconds go to Mr. Locksmith Training
For Locksmith Franchise and Licensing Opportunities go to http://mrlocksmith.com/locksmithfranchise-opportunities/
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