Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

Your industry news - first

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Sham locksmiths arrested

An increasingly frequent occurance it seems, police in the US have arrested two men on charges that they were performing locksmith services without a license, including one man who was the subject of a TV News hidden-camera investigation.
Reem Shai and a partner were caught on camera last year drilling the locks on a homeowner's front door. The men initially quoted the customer a $35 fee to get her into her house, but the price quickly ballooned to more than $400.

The investigation prompted a flood of complaints to the state Attorney General's office.

The North Carolina Locksmith Licensing Board also hired a private investigator to document cases where unlicensed locksmiths ripped off customers.

During the course of the board's investigation and before officials realised who he was, Shai applied for a state locksmith license, but he failed the test.

Police also picked up a second man, Kfir Mazor, and charged him with locksmith license violations.

One woman, who asked not to be identified, said she became suspicious when he showed up outside her house in an unmarked car.

"He had flip-flops on and Bermuda shorts, earrings here and there. It just, to me, didn't look professional," the woman said.

Officials with the Locksmith Licensing Board say they plan to keep pursuing such cases to reduce the number of people who get conned by unlicensed locksmiths.

4th August 2010