Locksmith scams are on the rise – reports of rogue locksmiths increased by 25% in 2024

In 2024 there were 350 complaints of rogue locksmiths made to the Master Locksmith Association - an increase of 25% compared to 2023.

The MLA also reported as many as 30 complaints in January 2025 of rogue locksmiths – nearly 1 every day – but number of victims could be much higher.

Not many people know who to turn to if they come across a potential locksmith scam because the industry is unregulated, and others may not even know they’ve been scammed in the first place.

What does a locksmith scam look like?

Rogue locksmiths prey on people’s desperation. When you’re locked out of your home or your car, the urgency to have the problem solved can cause people to make some rash decisions – like paying a locksmith double the price they were first quoted.

The ‘bait and switch’ is the most common practice among rogue locksmiths. These types of scammers will give enticingly cheap quotes initially and then ramp up the price when they arrive, giving all kinds of excuses to justify the insane cost increase.

What’s worse, these rogue locksmiths sometimes do such a bad job that people are forced to pay out all over again and hire another locksmith to fix the shoddy work of the first.

The problem is, people in vulnerable situations don’t always have much choice but to pay these ridiculous prices, especially when the key to their home or car is being held hostage.

But the scam doesn’t stop there.

Many of these rogue locksmiths will imitate other genuine locksmith businesses to trick customers into hiring their services – stealing the name, logos, and even the contents of their website.

This can make it more difficult to verify who you’re hiring because the reviews you’re reading online might not be for the person you’re hiring.

Can my credit card payment protection get me my money back from a locksmith scam?

Unfortunately, it’s not very likely you’re going to get your money back if you find out that you’ve overpaid a rogue locksmith.

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act will protect payments you make on your credit card if companies fail to supply the goods or services they sold to you or if they misrepresented what they are selling.

These types of locksmith scams aren’t typically covered under Section 75 because the tradesperson you hired carried out the service successfully – they just charged you probably a lot more than they were worth.

So, if you are the unfortunate victim of a rogue locksmith, you can:

• Report them to Action Fraud if they have given misinformation, like imitating another business or making false claims about their credentials

• Speak to your local Trading and Standards office or contact Citizens Advice for guidance.

Using insurance to cover lost or broken keys

Cover for keys and locks isn’t typically included with standard home insurance policies, but many providers will have options to add this cover.

Sometimes you can get this cover with a premium home insurance policy, but you can also get it with optional lock and key cover or home emergency cover.

With one of these extras added to your policy, your insurance provider will pay towards the cost of an emergency locksmith if your keys are lost, stolen, or broken.

If you’re thinking about home insurance or already own a policy, MoneySuperMarket data shows that adding home emergency cover to your home insurance policy increases annual premiums by an average of only £53* a year.

Similarly, standard car insurance isn’t likely to cover broken or stolen car keys, but insurers do offer optional car keys cover. Car keys can be especially expensive to repair or replace because of the electronic components, so this type of cover is useful to have if you’re concerned about the emergency costs of getting locked out of your car.

How to spot a rogue locksmith

The Master Locksmith Association provide the following tips to help you spot a potential fraudster:

Watch out for suspiciously low prices

According to Checkatrade, average locksmith prices are around £65 an hour during standard working hours. In emergencies, they may also charge a callout fee of around £50 to £100.

So, if you spot a locksmith that is advertising prices far lower than that, it’s most likely a scam. There’s a very good chance they might give you that low price over the phone then change their mind later and charge you considerably more.

Don’t believe locksmiths that are “Police Recommended”

There is no such thing as a Police approved or Police recommended locksmith – namely because the police do not recommend locksmith companies, nor do they work with them.

If you spot any locksmiths saying on their website that they’re recommended by the Police or displaying a Police logo, don’t believe them and look elsewhere.

Is the person answering the phone who you expected?

Locksmith fraudsters will sometimes use subcontractors or call centres to handle their calls, indicating that the company is not, in fact, a local locksmith but a nationwide operation.

The person answering the phone should be able to tell you the name of the locksmith that’s being sent out to you and give you a quote over the phone without being vague on the price. If they can’t give you a firm answer to these questions, it may be safer to call someone else.

For the rest of MLA’s tips and more advice on finding a trustworthy locksmith, visit their website.

_{*Based on home insurance policies sold through MoneySuperMarket between 01/01/2024 and 27/02/2024}