It seems to be open house for locksmiths’ fraud One young woman had to find £1,406 when a key broke in the lock and two men refused to leave until she paid.
The locksmith claimed the key could not be extracted and insisted the entire locking mechanism had failed and would need to be repaired at his workshop, at a cost of around £400.
Locksmith fraud is on the rise – figures from the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) show a 20% increase over 12 months last year.
Anyone can set up as a locksmith without training or regulation, the job allows access to a householder’s keys, and they can refuse people entry to their own home until they’ve paid up.
Most reputable locksmiths do not charge call-out fees, according to the MLA, and the average hourly charge for an emergency is around £80 to £100 depending on the time of day.
