Oregon next state to lock out 1-800-LocksmithScammers

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, (D), has about 30 days to sign into law a bill that will create a Board of Locksmiths to oversee and license the state’s estimated 2,000 legitimate locksmiths and to combat untrained sub-contractors from posing as such.

The sub-contractors, working for call centers, defraud consumers with shoddy workmanship and bait-and-switch schemes. They have overwhelmed the phone directories and Internet with hundreds (and thousands) of bogus business listings. Unknowingly consumers have called the imposters thinking they were calling a legitimate locksmith.

According to the bill, the Board would be established within the Construction Contractors Board (CCB) that now licenses locksmith businesses but not individuals. The new Board would adopt rules concerning the passing of a competency test, background and fingerprint checks, continuing education standards, fees and penalties for violations – all with a deadline of July 1, 2010. Until then the CCB must make locksmith certification available no later than Jan. 1, 2010.

Ernie Blatz is licensed by the CCB. He is also the President of the Pacific Locksmith Association (PLA), owner of Ernie’s Locks and Keys in The Dalles and has been in the field more than 20 years. He said the PLA has a membership of 70-80 locksmiths from 4 states: Oregon, (South West) Washington, Idaho and (Northern) California.

Blatz said one problem with being licensed with the CCB was that all the continuing education is geared toward contractors. “We just want to be able to get accredited classes through the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA),” he said.

“It wasn’t just the 1-800-LocksmithScammer that was the problem,” said Republican State Representative John Huffman, who sponsored the bill. “There are very serious breaches of security going on and the consumer doesn’t even realize there is a problem.”

Huffman cited the following case relayed to him by a locksmith who had been hired to rekey a 12-unit apartment complex. For many years, the manager rekeyed and maintained the lock system at the complex. The locksmith, however, discovered the pinning system was flawed. Every laundry room key, which the tenants each had, was actually also a master key to the entire complex.

Huffman feels confident the governor will sign the bill, if not; the process to pass a locksmith law will begin next March 2010 when the Oregon legislature meets again.

As of today’s post the bill was not signed. However, Jillian Schoene, the Governor’s Deputy Communications Director, said she expected the bill to be signed within the next few weeks.

Locksmiths, Florida and the Russian mob

The New York Times has a blog called The Board written by a group of journalists on their editorial board. Last August I happened to read board member Verlyn Klinkenborg’s post entitled “A Bad Day.” It was a litany of exasperating experiences that piled up all in one day.

Klinkenborg’s bad day began as he left for work. He found he was locked in his apartment with a deadbolt that wouldn’t retract.

What originally intrigued me about the story was Klinkenborg’s next sentence:

“If you’ve ever called an emergency locksmith on a Sunday, you know what followed – a visit from the Russian mafia, which accepts only cash on weekends, a whopping bill, and a grudging drive in the locksmith’s van to a nearby ATM.”

“Hum, so the Russian mafia is probably controlling the whole locksmith industry in New York City,” I thought. “Glad we don’t have that problem in Florida.”

I didn’t think about it again until ten days later when I received a call on our business line from a man with a heavy Russian accent and broken English.

“Hello. What is Martin Security? You a locksmith?”

“Yes, Sir, we are,” I replied. “How can I help you?”

“I find you online. Craig’s List. This is Locksmith 911. I lost a man in your area and need someone to take care of a lady. You do Orlando?

“Yes, now, what did you say your name was?” I asked. “Are you in Central Florida?”

“This is Russell with Locksmith 911. We work all over Florida. I lose a man. You do the job? Yes?”

“Yes,” I said. Since I was at my computer I did a reverse phone number search on the name and number listed on my digital display. His name and number matched, but he was calling from a landline in Manhattan, NY.

As Russell gave me the particulars of the job, I searched the Florida Department of Corporations website, but a company by the name of Locksmith 911 was not found. A dozen businesses were listed under Russell’s name, but all were medical industry companies (medical supplies, doctor groups, HMO’s). Russell must have a common Russian surname.

“I give you this one free,” said Russell about the financial arrangements. “Next time you pay me 30 percent and you get to keep 70 percent. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said. “But where do I send you the money? What’s your address here in Florida?

“Next time I call, I give you my address and you mail me a business check.”

“Right,” I thought, “I’m going to send my check with my bank account numbers on it to someone who may be in the Russian mafia. No way!”

I assured Russell that if for some reason we couldn’t do the job, I would get another locksmith to do it. We hung up and after thinking about what transpired, I decided to toss this hot potato to Jerry, a fellow locksmith, who accepted the job after I explained the situation.

Russell’s Florida business must have slowed down or he discovered I passed the job on. In either case, he’s never called again.