A warning’s being issued of a rise in unqualified impostors posing as locksmiths who’ve fleeced Australians out of hundreds of dollars, now making their way down here too.
Master Locksmiths Australasia president Martin Coote is in New Zealand as part of a push to raise awareness about the growing scam that’s hit headlines across the Tasman.
“We had someone recently, they were charged $6000 to have someone come and open up their house and destroy the lock,” he said. “They are ripping people, consumers, off by offering low, low prices – sometimes as low as $35 – and then adding lots of charges when they turn up.”
Coote said it’s something that’s happening here, too – largely in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Aucklander Renee Beardsall is among those who found herself paying for an invoice of more than $350 to get her work storeroom unlocked.
The invoice she received – containing a clearly fake phone number, non-business email, and incomplete address – confirmed her suspicions.
Australian authorities believe the scam’s conducted by large networks who recruit temporary workers who often do substandard work. New Zealand Police said it isn’t aware of such activity happening here, but it can’t be ruled out. It’s also advised consumers to do their due diligence to ensure the person they’re contacting is reputable.
Coote believes regulation to ensure locksmiths have appropriate oversight and qualifications would give people greater guarantees of who they are calling, and would enable better policing.
“It would protect the community because people would know that if they call a locksmith, they are getting a genuine master locksmith.”
In the meantime, some red flags including pictures of Google reviews you can’t click through to, social media icons that don’t go anywhere, and incomplete addresses. Coote also recommends checking out their GST registration and see if the company actually shows up.
He also has some age-old advice – if something feels wrong, trust your gut.