TN Tries to Shutdown Locksmith Scams

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - After months of getting complaints about these deceptive locksmiths operating across the Mid-South, the West Tennessee Locksmith Association went to Nashville asking for help in putting them out of business.

Glen Peifer had hoped his meeting with the state's Department of Commerce and Insurance would generate a sure fire way of stopping the locksmith scammers his association says have flooded Memphis recently. But he says it's going to take a little more time to eliminate them.

"Certaintly they can take the unlicensed and fine them if they can find them."

Peifer says a possible solution may lie in litigation. He says he was successful in stirring up interest in following Missouri's effort to fight deceptive locksmiths.

"The state attorney general is literally going after the company's who are doing this and are going to the AT & T's, Yellow Pages, folks posting numbers and making sure they do more research."

According to the Better Business Bureau some companies outside of Memphis are using call centers to intercept local calls and farm out jobs here. People are getting scammers' numbers when they call for a locksmith because the scammers are using bogus addresses on the internet and in phone book listings. And in some cases scammers are stealing the numbers of legitimate businesses.

On Wednesday, Peifer's company, Peifer Safe & Lock was called to fix Toni Hughes lock. She says the previous locksmith swindled her out of $200 cash.

"I happened to have the money, I wanted him out of the house."

Hughes says she used the phone book to look up a locksmith she thought she could trust. Instead she says she got someone who left her worse off....with a lock that didn't work correctly.

"I said that's not like the lock on the door. He said it's a better lock. You'll like it better."

Peifer says there are too many stories like Hughes' happening everyday. He says what Missouri is doing to stop the overcharging and fraudulent advertising could set a precedent. One he hopes Tennessee considers repeating.

"I'm hoping they do something through the state attorney general's office to get these numbers out of the airwaves."

While the state reviews its options, Peifer says the only thing to do is get the word out about the problem.

People who think they have fallen victim to this scam are urged to report it to the Better Business Bureau and the Tennessee Locksmith Licensing Program.

Report Locksmith Scams:
Better Business Bureau @ bbb.org
TN Locksmith Licensing Program
(615) 532-9170

TN Locksmith Licensing Program
Call Pat Smith at (615) 532-9170