Locksmith scam

The locksmith scam is a multi-faceted scam, targeting people who have been locked out of cars or buildings.^{[3][4][5][2][6][7][8]} Side-effects of the scam include damage to the reputations,^[9] and to the ability to advertise, of uninvolved, legitimate locksmiths.^[10]

Locksmith scams have been reported in the U.S.,^{[11][12][5][13][14]} the U.K.,^[15][16] and New Zealand.^[17][18][19]

Structure

Such scams may involve:

• Lead generation, designed to confuse potential customers into believing that the scammer is a legitimate, but low-priced, locksmith:^[2][20][7]

• Creating websites,^[21] search engine advertisements and business directory listings designed to resemble those of legitimate locksmiths.^{[4][22][23][2][9][10][24][25]}

• Using retouched photographs depicting locksmith stores at locations where no store actually exists.^[2]

• Procuring dishonest reviews.^[7]

• Using names similar or identical to those of legitimate locksmiths.^{[26][21][16][6][10][17][27]}

• Using addresses that are either fictitious, or are P. O. boxes, or belong to an existing home or business (sometimes, but not always, a locksmith business^[28]).^{[29][3][22][15][30][2][25][14]}

• Driving up the price of online advertisements^[2] to make them unaffordable for legitimate locksmiths. (Locksmiths businesses are among those worst affected by click fraud.^[31])

• Calls being routed to a call centre, rather than to an actual locksmith.^{[3][4][22][5][2][6][7][1][9][27]}

• Unrealistically low prices advertised,^{[2][20][6][32][8][9]} or quoted by the call centre,^[4][33] together with the caveat, "and up".^[2]

• Lead conversion, in which the mark is bluntly persuaded to part with money:

• Using vehicles that have no signage^{[34][33][17][35][5][9]} or only magnetic stick-on signage,^[7] to reduce accountability.

• Using staff lacking identification^[35][9] or uniforms,^[34][7] again to reduce accountability.

• Disinterest in the customer's right to access the vehicle or building to which the call-out relates; for example, failing to ask the customer for ID or proof of ownership.^[5]

• Refusing to provide a written estimate,^[33][17] also to reduce accountability.

• Insisting upon the use of destructive rather than non-destructive entry, typically by destroying the original lock and necessitating the purchase of a replacement lock.^[22][6]

• Charging excessive prices, even if low prices were advertised or quoted by the call centre (i.e. bait-and-switch).^{[29][3][4][35][2][20][6][8][17][27]}

• Insisting upon payment by cash^{[4][33][35][2]} or debit card^[7] (because if paid by credit card, the charges are potentially reversible).^[27]

Legal action

Locksmiths and other observers have noted that search engine companies make substantial income from paid-for listings, regardless of whether the listings are legitimate or spam.^{[36][37][30][25]}

In the U.S. in 2005, a Bronx-based company was sued by the Chicago Department of Consumer services for alleged consumer fraud.^[29]

In the U.S. in 2009, three alleged locksmith scammers were unsuccessfully prosecuted in St. Louis.^[2]

In the U.K. in 2010, a locksmith scammer was successfully prosecuted.^[38]

In the U.S. in 2014, a locksmith based in Virginia sued Google, Yellowbook (Hibu), and Ziplocal, under numerous laws, requesting that those companies "remove fraudulent locksmith listings from their search results".^[36][39][40] This, too, was unsuccessful, due to the companies' immunity under the Communications Decency Act.^[2]

In the U.S. in 2017-2018, a group of 14 locksmiths filed a lawsuit against Google, Yahoo, and Bing, alleging that these search engines allowed spam listings to drown out legitimate, organic search results.^[41]

Google claims to have removed billions of advertisements that violated its policies, and to have improved its verification systems to combat listings fraud.^[42][43] However, although Google now requires people advertising locksmith services in the US or Canada to complete its "Advanced Verification" process,^[44] it does not do so in other markets.^[45] Also, Google has reportedly resisted removing fraudulent listings.^[30]

See also

• Adversarial information retrieval
• Criticism of Google
• Deregulation
• Hijacked journal
• Misinformation
• Passing off
• Sybil attack
• Typosquatting

References