Locksmith scams are not rare in Seattle; they are the majority of the ads you see when you search while standing outside a locked car. Here is how the scam works and how to avoid it in sixty seconds.
How the scam works
- A call center buys ads under hundreds of generic names ("Locksmith Seattle 24/7", "Seattle Lock & Key") with a tiny "$19 service call" price.
- Your call is sold to a subcontractor with no license, no shop and no connection to the business name.
- The subcontractor arrives in an unmarked car, says the lock is "high security" and must be drilled, and bills $300 to $700 in cash.
- The "$19" was the service call. The lock is now destroyed and you need a new one from him, today.
Six checks before you book
- Ask for the business name. A real locksmith answers with it. A call center says "locksmith service" and changes the subject.
- Ask for a total price range, not a service-call fee. A lockout quote of "$19" with no range is the tell.
- Search the exact business name on Google Maps. Real companies have a profile with years of reviews, photos of their own van and a consistent phone number. Seattle Locksmith Service has been on the map since 2010.
- Look for a marked vehicle and ID. Our technicians arrive in a lettered van and show ID before they start.
- Refuse drilling as a first option. Almost every residential and car lock can be picked or bypassed. If drilling is proposed in the first minute, send them away.
- Get the firm price before any tool touches the lock. Then it can't change.
What a legitimate call looks like
You call 206-309-9023. The dispatcher says "Seattle Locksmith Service", asks where you are and what happened, gives you a price range and an arrival time. The technician arrives in a marked van, shows ID, confirms the price, opens the lock without damage, and you pay by card with a receipt that has the company name on it. That's it.
If you've already been scammed
Pay by card if you can, so you can dispute the charge. Photograph the invoice, the vehicle and the plate. Report it to the Washington Attorney General's consumer protection division and leave a review under the name that showed up on your card. Then call a real locksmith to repair or replace the drilled lock; we see this weekly and can usually rekey the rest of the house to a fresh key in the same visit.