Guide · Before you call anyone
How to spot a locksmith scam.
Watch what a locksmith does, not what the ad says. These eight behaviors give a scam away, and you can verify any California locksmith, including us, in two minutes.
Check us, then call (661) 241-3077 Text your year, make, and model for a quote.Red flags
Eight red flags
Each of these is something a caller or a technician does. None of them depends on who the person is, only on how they behave.
- 01 “$15” or “starting at $19” prices A rock-bottom number in the ad that balloons once someone is standing at your car. A real quote is for your vehicle and your job, and it's given before anyone is dispatched.
- 02 Generic names with no registered business Names like “24/7 Locksmith” or “Locksmith Near Me” tell you nothing about who will arrive. Ask for the legal business name and look it up (see below). A real company can tell you.
- 03 A dispatcher who takes your address before quoting If the call ends with “the technician will confirm the price when he arrives,” you haven't been quoted anything. Get a number on the phone first, or hang up.
- 04 Repeated “five more minutes” An arrival time that keeps slipping while you wait is a way to keep you from calling someone else. A real arrival window is stated up front and holds.
- 05 An unmarked vehicle, no branding, no uniform A legitimate company can be identified when it pulls up: a marked vehicle, a name on the invoice that matches the name on the phone. If nothing identifies who you're dealing with, stop before any work starts.
- 06 Reaching for a drill before trying anything else Drilling a lock is almost never the first move on a car, and it creates a bigger bill. A skilled locksmith tries to open or decode first. If the first tool out is a drill, ask why.
- 07 No license number on the invoice California requires a locksmith company to be licensed by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), and that license number belongs on your invoice. No number, no way to check them.
- 08 Reviews that tell two different stories Five-star reviews that read alike, next to one-star reviews describing a price that tripled at the door. If the complaints describe the same pattern, believe the complaints.
Verify
How to verify any locksmith, including us
It takes two minutes, and you can do it from the car.
- 1
Look up the license
Search the company on the BSIS Verify a License page, or call BSIS at (800) 952-5210. Ours is LCO 8755.
- 2
Check the business name
Search the legal business name on the California Secretary of State business search. A registered company will be there.
- 3
Get the price on the phone first
The California Department of Consumer Affairs advises asking the dispatcher for an estimate of the charges before anyone is sent. See their tips for hiring a locksmith.
- 4
Ask to see the license on arrival
California locksmiths are required to carry a pocket version of their license. Ours is displayed in the truck, and we carry the wallet-sized license too, so you can see either one on the spot. If anything seems wrong, stop the work. If someone insists on a charge just for showing up, call the police.
What a real invoice contains
When the work is done you should be handed, or sent, an invoice that shows at least:
- The company's legal name and its BSIS license number
- Your name and the vehicle
- A description of the work done
- The total price, the one you were quoted before work began
- The date
Check us the same way.
Look up LCO 8755 before you call, or when we arrive. You'll get a real quote before anyone drives to you.
Call Key Dudes (661) 241-30779am–7pm daily · After hours: emergency service