PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 4 , 2006
Consumers Warned of Phony Locksmith Scam
DALLAS, TX - Consumers in the (city) area are warned to beware of individuals posing as locksmith who perform unnecessary work or charge exorbitant un-locking fees. The Associated Locksmiths of America, Inc. (ALOA), an international association of locksmith and physical security professionals, recently issued an official warning for the (city) area.
"This scheme entices locked-out consumers with large Yellow Pages ads that give the impression you are calling a local business," says ALOA's Executive Director, Charles W. Gibson, Jr., "These companies manipulate listings with multiple false addresses and phone numbers to make them seem like a neighborhood businesses. In actuality, the victims frequentlyy are calling out-of-state operations that are not locksmith companies at all. The consumer is quoted a reasonable price over the phone, but when a person posing as a locksmith finishes the job, the victim is charged a considerable amount more for unnecessary and sub-standard work."
ALOA has created a checklist for detecting a company that may be engaging in this scheme. "Many of the items in this checklist are legal by themselves," adds Gibson. "However, if several are used together, you may be dealing with a con artist."
1. Not Familiar with Your Area To make sure the company is local, make sure that they are familiar with your area of town.
2. "Locksmith Service." Unscrupulous individuals often operate under many business names/aliases. Thus, they must answer the phone with a generic phrase like, "locksmith service." If the call is answered this way, ask, "What is the legal name of your business"
3. ALOA Logo. Does the Yellow Pages ad contain a logo that makes them appear to belong to ALOA? While many locksmiths do belong to the Association, some unscrupulous individuals trick the consumer by falsely using the ALOA logo.You can always check to see if in fact these businesses are members by (800) 532-2562 or www.findalocksmith.com
4. Unclear Business Name. Look closely at the ad(s). Is the specific name of the business clearly identified? Does it appear that the dealer actually operates under several names? If a Web address is listed, does the name on the Web site match the name on the ad?
5. "Under Same Ownership." This confusing statement, often found in small print at the bottom of a full-page ad in phone directories, give consumers a sense that the firm has been in business for awhile. The statement itself may be a warning sign that the company operates under several aliases. Also, the ad sometimes lists association memberships for organizations that do not exist, (i.e. American Locksmith Association)."
6. Service Vehicle. Some legitimate locksmiths will work out of a car or unmarked van for quick jobs, but most will arrive in a service vehicle � a van or truck that is clearly marked.
7. Identity. A legitimate locksmith should ask for identity and some form of proof that you have the authority to allow the unlocking to be done. You have the right to ask for the locksmith's identification as well. Does he have a business card? Does he have an invoice or bill with the company name printed on it? Does it match the name on the service vehicle?
8. Estimate. Find out what the work will cost before you authorize it. Never sign a blank form authorizing work.
9. Invoice. Insist on an itemized invoice. You can't dispute a charge without proof of how much you paid and what the payment was for .
10. Refuse. If you are not comfortable with the service provider, you can, and should, refuse to work with the locksmith.
If you feel that you have been the victim a scheme as described above, ALOA recommends that you contact the office of the Attorney General in your state. Most Attorneys General have a division that specializes in fraudulent or deceptive business practices.You may find out how to contact your Attorney General at www.naag.org.
Check for a valid state license number . The states that have licensing for locksmith services ( AL,CA, IL, LA, NJ, NC, OK, TN and TX ) may require the licensed locksmith company to include a state license number on their vehicles, advertising, and all paperwork. If your state requires licensing, then the technician must show you his/her identity card, which is a good indicator of legitimacy. These licensed locksmiths and their companies have been investigated by the state and found free of criminal activity in their past, and are required to have current valid liability insurance policies in force. States with a licensing law typically have a consumer protection hotline number to call and a mailing address for complaints to be sent to. Do not pay anyone that will not provide you with this information. If your state does not have a licensing law to protect you, ask your legislator for that protection. The Associated Locksmiths Of America (ALOA) supports state licensing for the purpose of protecting the consumer and can assist your legislator in drafting laws to protect consumers from phony locksmith scams.
###
The Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) is the world's largest organization for locksmiths and other physical security professionals. ALOA is dedicated to being the consumer's first line of defense in physical security by increasing the effectiveness and productivity of locksmiths through educational programs and materials that address broad security interests. ALOA's activities include the ALOA Continuing Education (ACE) program, the ALOA Annual Convention & Security Expo and the ALOA Training Center, which is based in Dallas, Texas. ALOA leads the way for advanced and improved security performance by providing members and the security community with access to a full range of educational programs and services.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sample letter to send to Attorney General to Complain
September 25, 2006
The Hon. Lawrence Wasden
Attorney General
700 W. Jefferson Street
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720
Dear Attorney General Wasden:
The citizens of Idaho are being defrauded everyday by unscrupulous individuals posing as locksmiths. The Associated Locksmiths of America, Inc. (ALOA) has discovered that these individuals have set up fake addresses and phone numbers in Idaho.When a locked-out consumer telephones to get help, they call a local number given to them by directory assistance or the Yellow Pages. However, these companies manipulate local phone listings with multiple false addresses and phone numbers to make it seem like a neighborhood businesses and to increase the probability of being called. In actuality, consumers are calling out-of-state operations that are not locksmith companies. The consumer is quoted a reasonable price over the phone, but when the person posing as a locksmith finishes the job, the consumer is charged a considerable amount more for sub-standard work. These out-of-state operations are set up solely to make money by purposely defrauding the citizens of Idaho.
The complaint we hear most often by consumers is for car openings. The price quoted over the phone to stranded motorist is around $45. When the individual arrives and unlocks the car, they hand the motorist a bill for $135 - $150. This unscrupulous individual tells the frustrated consumer that the $45 was just the service call and that it was another $90 - $100 for servicing the lock. We know a number of incidents of elderly consumers locked out of their homes and being charged $900 to $1700 to replace a $12 lock. This practice is blatant defrauding of the public. As you can see from the attached articles this is a nationwide problem, one that has now come to Idaho.
The Illinois Attorney General has successfully prosecuted these individuals (see attached), and ALOA is asking that you pursue this matter as well. We are available to provide you with further information and willing to work closely with your office on this matter. Please contact our Legislative Manager, Tim McMullen at 214-819-9733 x300 or email at tim@aloa.org as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
ASSOCIATED LOCKSMITHS OF AMERICAN, INC.
Charles W. Gibson, Jr., CAE
Executive Director
The Hon. Lawrence Wasden
Attorney General
700 W. Jefferson Street
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720
Dear Attorney General Wasden:
The citizens of Idaho are being defrauded everyday by unscrupulous individuals posing as locksmiths. The Associated Locksmiths of America, Inc. (ALOA) has discovered that these individuals have set up fake addresses and phone numbers in Idaho.When a locked-out consumer telephones to get help, they call a local number given to them by directory assistance or the Yellow Pages. However, these companies manipulate local phone listings with multiple false addresses and phone numbers to make it seem like a neighborhood businesses and to increase the probability of being called. In actuality, consumers are calling out-of-state operations that are not locksmith companies. The consumer is quoted a reasonable price over the phone, but when the person posing as a locksmith finishes the job, the consumer is charged a considerable amount more for sub-standard work. These out-of-state operations are set up solely to make money by purposely defrauding the citizens of Idaho.
The complaint we hear most often by consumers is for car openings. The price quoted over the phone to stranded motorist is around $45. When the individual arrives and unlocks the car, they hand the motorist a bill for $135 - $150. This unscrupulous individual tells the frustrated consumer that the $45 was just the service call and that it was another $90 - $100 for servicing the lock. We know a number of incidents of elderly consumers locked out of their homes and being charged $900 to $1700 to replace a $12 lock. This practice is blatant defrauding of the public. As you can see from the attached articles this is a nationwide problem, one that has now come to Idaho.
The Illinois Attorney General has successfully prosecuted these individuals (see attached), and ALOA is asking that you pursue this matter as well. We are available to provide you with further information and willing to work closely with your office on this matter. Please contact our Legislative Manager, Tim McMullen at 214-819-9733 x300 or email at tim@aloa.org as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
ASSOCIATED LOCKSMITHS OF AMERICAN, INC.
Charles W. Gibson, Jr., CAE
Executive Director
Aloa: Why should I join, why should I renew?
On ALOA:(IMHO) Yes, you should renew your membership. If for no other reason than to take the high road; which for me is simply to support the profession by helping fund Aloa and its efforts. Get a subscription to The National Locksmith while you are at it.
The straight calculations are actually very favorable to joining/renewing your membership as well. The cost savings for attending classes and participating in PRP substantially out-weighs the cost of membership; if you are into learning and professional development. In my opinion, about half the cost of membership is justified just for the magazine subscription alone.
www.findalocksmith.com is Aloa’s web promotion on behalf of its members.
Google gives that site a very high ranking, primarily because official associations are given more search engine optimization weight in the algorithms that determine search results. Findalocksmith.com is a free service to members. If you search for "Locksmith" in Google, www.findalocksmtih.com comes up 1st or 2nd all the time...it also pushes one of the big scammer sites down the list as well. This represents a direct marketing benefit that could not be achieved by many members, on their own, without GREAT cost.
The Aloa monthly newsletter, I've enjoyed this new feature and look forward to receiving it. This feature has great potential for even more information, especially of a technical nature. It is an active member benefit which means that I don’t have to go hunt it down; it just shows up for me to trip over.
Exposing Scammers: David and the staff (especially Tim) have gone to great lengths to do public education regarding the scammers...in a way the scammers have prompted Aloa to engage in the strongest media campaign that the organization has undertook. I'm glad my dues have gone to that for sure. If two calls a year are received because someone called me instead of a scammer then my membership expense is justified.
Change: I've only been a member for 10 years but I can see a difference in the organization today. I think that the selection of president this year was very good, Ken is a very common sense guy. In my talks with him I've seen that he is legitimately wanting to help the industry and not just a ‘talking points’ type of guy. (The last few selections for president I think have been progressive.) Ken also strikes me as a good business guy and not just a tech guy. Having Steve Myslik on the board is also a reflection of a changing mindset that welcomes automotive locksmiths and a voice of 'call a spade a spade' change.
Areas for improvements:
-Increased support and sponsorship of online learning that is robust, affordable and easily available.
-Continued development of the internet presence on behalf of its members by using a more search friendly web-design that gives 'search presence' down to the local level. e.g. when 'googling' "Baltimore Locksmith" the Aloa page with their Baltimore members should come before the scammers pages or at least something in that direction.
-Re-Release and update of the locksmith core curriculum that was used prior to the adoption of the Bill Phillips book that now accompanies the basic locksmith course. Bills book is very nice but it is not a curriculum. The previous curriculum was well organized, had relevant information and self directed structure.
-Making all current and past locksmith books that they can available in searchable electronic format.
-Development of professionally produced TV commercials that can be used by members to educate the public regarding choosing a locksmith. Ideally, individual members can provide these to local TV stations to run as PSA's. To go one up on that, make a few state specific spots that educate the public regarding licensing. i.e. the same commercial but with some specific images for Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina etc.
-Update the life safety course with the goal of identifying common problems and corrections, based on the Life Safety Handbook...more so than just raw code. Existing course is good, but could use a refresh. A very visual course with a, “What’s wrong with this picture?” type format would be very awesome.
-I would like to see a compendium of the technical troubleshooting documents that Aloa has archived. Bob and David have provided some very useful documents to me especially on resetting electronic locks etc. I'd like to see all of those type of documents made available in one form or another, preferably in electronic format.
-Pursue active litigation against scammers using the Aloa logo and show aggressive defense of the service marks of the association. I think this is a case of you dont' have to kill all of them; you just need to post the head of one of them outside your tent so the others will get the message.-
Follow up on licensing: Now that many of these bills have been passed, what lessons have we learned? Are the laws being enforced? Are the laws being fairly applied? What other financial consequences such as new tax procedures etc are the licensing laws affecting. I'd like to help develop a standardized set of 'Administrative Rules' that can accompany the 'model law' that has been developed by Aloa. The administrative rules have a more visceral day to day effect on how locksmiths and lock related industries perform than does the wording of the laws.(North Carolina has a great set of admin rules that cover areas like Fair Trade Practices, Technical Integrity etc).
A good set of admin rules can also go a long way to standardizing the categories for licensing of 'kinda locksmith' players like: Atm techs, Bank Service Techs, Detention Locking specialist, Builders Hardware workers, automotive specialist, emergency service providers, electronic access sales and installers. These related industries seem to murky the waters of licensing...even when they aren't advertising in the YP as "Locksmith".-I’ve always heard members say, “Aloa needs to do more to promote itself…thereby promoting it’s members.”
However, promotion and marketing are very expensive; there are ways for Aloa to do that on the cheap. One is by providing high quality materials for its members to use for local advertising, thus saving the members money by avoiding the cost of having to produce TV/Radio/Print and internet spots. Another ‘low cost’ means is through press releases or press release service. To put it humorously, every time Aloa or one of its members does something good, such as attending a class, completing a PRP exam, doing a speech etc then a press release should go out via AP and web. E.g Local Aloa Locksmith, Johnny Smith, celebrates his 8th year as a member.
Aloa membership indicates a professional locksmith who adheres to ethical standards, technical competence…blah blah blah. Dallas Texas locksmith customers are lucky to have such professional service locally. You can find Johnny Smiths lock and key at www.findalocksmith.com...nnySmiths.
-Lastly and most importantly, I’d like to see Aloa putting together research and presentations for every state attorney general, district attorney and ‘AHJ’ regarding the scammers. I’ve been in close contact with Aloa regarding many of these efforts, particularly strategic web development to improve the www.findalocksmith.com. I/our company have been very actively supporting these efforts on a number of fronts including: Increased membership, education of local/state and federal officials as well as large commercial customers, search engine legal people and Internet Yellow Page administrators regarding the scammers, support of state licensing, participation in education programs, promotion of Ace® classes, loaning of talent ranging from marketing, promotion, programming, web development, search engine optimization and if nothing else a supportive attitude. Particularly, one that welcomes improvements but without trying to point out every little short-coming as evidence to” burn down the barn just to kill a few mice”.
I know, I know, "Rob won't you tell us how your really feel?"
Pop@lock.com
www.PopALock.com
www.professionallocksm...etwork.com
The straight calculations are actually very favorable to joining/renewing your membership as well. The cost savings for attending classes and participating in PRP substantially out-weighs the cost of membership; if you are into learning and professional development. In my opinion, about half the cost of membership is justified just for the magazine subscription alone.
www.findalocksmith.com is Aloa’s web promotion on behalf of its members.
Google gives that site a very high ranking, primarily because official associations are given more search engine optimization weight in the algorithms that determine search results. Findalocksmith.com is a free service to members. If you search for "Locksmith" in Google, www.findalocksmtih.com comes up 1st or 2nd all the time...it also pushes one of the big scammer sites down the list as well. This represents a direct marketing benefit that could not be achieved by many members, on their own, without GREAT cost.
The Aloa monthly newsletter, I've enjoyed this new feature and look forward to receiving it. This feature has great potential for even more information, especially of a technical nature. It is an active member benefit which means that I don’t have to go hunt it down; it just shows up for me to trip over.
Exposing Scammers: David and the staff (especially Tim) have gone to great lengths to do public education regarding the scammers...in a way the scammers have prompted Aloa to engage in the strongest media campaign that the organization has undertook. I'm glad my dues have gone to that for sure. If two calls a year are received because someone called me instead of a scammer then my membership expense is justified.
Change: I've only been a member for 10 years but I can see a difference in the organization today. I think that the selection of president this year was very good, Ken is a very common sense guy. In my talks with him I've seen that he is legitimately wanting to help the industry and not just a ‘talking points’ type of guy. (The last few selections for president I think have been progressive.) Ken also strikes me as a good business guy and not just a tech guy. Having Steve Myslik on the board is also a reflection of a changing mindset that welcomes automotive locksmiths and a voice of 'call a spade a spade' change.
Areas for improvements:
-Increased support and sponsorship of online learning that is robust, affordable and easily available.
-Continued development of the internet presence on behalf of its members by using a more search friendly web-design that gives 'search presence' down to the local level. e.g. when 'googling' "Baltimore Locksmith" the Aloa page with their Baltimore members should come before the scammers pages or at least something in that direction.
-Re-Release and update of the locksmith core curriculum that was used prior to the adoption of the Bill Phillips book that now accompanies the basic locksmith course. Bills book is very nice but it is not a curriculum. The previous curriculum was well organized, had relevant information and self directed structure.
-Making all current and past locksmith books that they can available in searchable electronic format.
-Development of professionally produced TV commercials that can be used by members to educate the public regarding choosing a locksmith. Ideally, individual members can provide these to local TV stations to run as PSA's. To go one up on that, make a few state specific spots that educate the public regarding licensing. i.e. the same commercial but with some specific images for Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina etc.
-Update the life safety course with the goal of identifying common problems and corrections, based on the Life Safety Handbook...more so than just raw code. Existing course is good, but could use a refresh. A very visual course with a, “What’s wrong with this picture?” type format would be very awesome.
-I would like to see a compendium of the technical troubleshooting documents that Aloa has archived. Bob and David have provided some very useful documents to me especially on resetting electronic locks etc. I'd like to see all of those type of documents made available in one form or another, preferably in electronic format.
-Pursue active litigation against scammers using the Aloa logo and show aggressive defense of the service marks of the association. I think this is a case of you dont' have to kill all of them; you just need to post the head of one of them outside your tent so the others will get the message.-
Follow up on licensing: Now that many of these bills have been passed, what lessons have we learned? Are the laws being enforced? Are the laws being fairly applied? What other financial consequences such as new tax procedures etc are the licensing laws affecting. I'd like to help develop a standardized set of 'Administrative Rules' that can accompany the 'model law' that has been developed by Aloa. The administrative rules have a more visceral day to day effect on how locksmiths and lock related industries perform than does the wording of the laws.(North Carolina has a great set of admin rules that cover areas like Fair Trade Practices, Technical Integrity etc).
A good set of admin rules can also go a long way to standardizing the categories for licensing of 'kinda locksmith' players like: Atm techs, Bank Service Techs, Detention Locking specialist, Builders Hardware workers, automotive specialist, emergency service providers, electronic access sales and installers. These related industries seem to murky the waters of licensing...even when they aren't advertising in the YP as "Locksmith".-I’ve always heard members say, “Aloa needs to do more to promote itself…thereby promoting it’s members.”
However, promotion and marketing are very expensive; there are ways for Aloa to do that on the cheap. One is by providing high quality materials for its members to use for local advertising, thus saving the members money by avoiding the cost of having to produce TV/Radio/Print and internet spots. Another ‘low cost’ means is through press releases or press release service. To put it humorously, every time Aloa or one of its members does something good, such as attending a class, completing a PRP exam, doing a speech etc then a press release should go out via AP and web. E.g Local Aloa Locksmith, Johnny Smith, celebrates his 8th year as a member.
Aloa membership indicates a professional locksmith who adheres to ethical standards, technical competence…blah blah blah. Dallas Texas locksmith customers are lucky to have such professional service locally. You can find Johnny Smiths lock and key at www.findalocksmith.com...nnySmiths.
-Lastly and most importantly, I’d like to see Aloa putting together research and presentations for every state attorney general, district attorney and ‘AHJ’ regarding the scammers. I’ve been in close contact with Aloa regarding many of these efforts, particularly strategic web development to improve the www.findalocksmith.com. I/our company have been very actively supporting these efforts on a number of fronts including: Increased membership, education of local/state and federal officials as well as large commercial customers, search engine legal people and Internet Yellow Page administrators regarding the scammers, support of state licensing, participation in education programs, promotion of Ace® classes, loaning of talent ranging from marketing, promotion, programming, web development, search engine optimization and if nothing else a supportive attitude. Particularly, one that welcomes improvements but without trying to point out every little short-coming as evidence to” burn down the barn just to kill a few mice”.
I know, I know, "Rob won't you tell us how your really feel?"
Pop@lock.com
www.PopALock.com
www.professionallocksm...etwork.com
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