How to avoid locksmith scams

Locksmith scams follow a predictable script. Learn the pattern and the whole thing falls apart before it costs you.

The seven warning signs

  • Bait pricing. A “$19 service call” that balloons on arrival.
  • Fake-local numbers. A national call center answering as if it were a neighborhood shop.
  • No license or ID. A real locksmith shows one; in licensing states, ask for the number.
  • Unmarked vehicle and no company name.
  • Cash only, no receipt.
  • “We have to drill it.” Most locks open non-destructively; drilling first is a red flag.
  • Pressure and urgency. Refusing to put the price in writing.

How this directory protects you

Every listing is verified before it appears — against state license records where they exist, and through registration, insurance, and review screening everywhere else. Featured placement is always labeled and never changes verification standards.

Scam-avoidance FAQs

A too-good advertised price, a call center that won’t name the local company, a technician with no ID or license, an unbranded vehicle, cash-only demands, and “we have to drill it” for a routine lockout.

Stop the work, decline to pay a price you didn’t agree to in writing, and call a verified locksmith instead. Report the company to your state consumer-protection office and the FTC.