Happy New Year! Okay, it’s February so maybe I should say Happy Valentine’s Day. I’ve been on sabbatical and it’s been refreshing. Still writing, of course, just not focusing on the locksmith industry.
It’s been an interesting year (11 months actually) writing a blog. But it’s been tough because blogs demand frequency and consistency. Investigative journalism doesn’t work that way. It requires research, documentation, fact-checking, multiple interviews, re-interviews, writing, re-writing several times, then sending it to your editor. By the way, my editor, Carol Leff, is pretty good at not letting anything get by her.
Investigative reports cannot be scheduled for weekly postings as much as I’d like it to happen that way. I usually work on two or more investigations at the same time. If another important story breaks, I’ll mention the publication/reporter and provide a link to it instead of jumping into another investigation. In that way, I can focus on what I feel are the issues of the locksmith industry instead of concerns about a weekly post.
Favorite emails
My favorite emails by far are from locksmiths and consumers who thank me for the work I do. It’s gratifying.
Second on my list of favorite emails are fellow reporters who are working on their own stories about locksmith scammers. TV reporters generally don’t have the time or budget to invest in lengthy investigations. Last fall one news reporter asked how I came up with the figures for my phone directory story. I detailed the interviews and steps taken to get accurate numbers. Since I haven’t seen his story yet, I’m assuming he couldn’t invest the time to investigate in his area. News organizations, both print and TV, are short-staffed and it’s a growing problem in the industry. Many of the posts on news forums deal with the lack of funds for investigations.
Finally, I don’t usually receive emails from an editor of a national locksmith publication complimenting my “solid investigative skills and writing.” (Thanks, Carol, for making me look good!) She asked that I contact her about writing a monthly column for them. About a week later I attempted to get back to her and she was no longer listed on the website for the publication. Yet another staff cutback. C’est la vie!
Bogus locksmith emails
There were several attempts by locksmith scammers to get listed as legitimate locksmiths on my www.find-a-legit-locksmith.com when it was up. I also get comments from scammers trying to post comments to my blog posts. I guess they think I’ll list them or post their comments with a link to their business without checking them out first. Not likely. One Miami locksmith scammer wanted to get listed so I asked for his locksmith license (required in Dade County). Never heard from him again.
Anonymous emails
An anonymous email from my www.find-a-legit-locksmith.com site showed up in my inbox last year. Some one sure was mad at a Spring Hill locksmith. They passed on his name, business name, address and phone number along with information that he was a convicted felon, drug addict and had protection orders out on him. Ouch! That sounds personal.
So was it true? I don’t know. I did some initial checking but the locksmith had a fairly common name and no birth date was given. He was not legally registered in Hernando County with a business license and there was no response to my email to the sender. I did find two criminal cases for someone with his name – one case did not end in a conviction and the other was really bizarre. A 2006 drug possession case was suddenly closed and a death certificate was entered into the court records. So I’m thinking that wasn’t him. Sometimes investigations just dead end.
I had just about decided not to waste my time investigating any more anonymous email writers when I got one from a former employee of David Peer of Dependable Locks, Inc. Peer owned the Florida locksmith call center that sent out phony locksmiths. After several email interviews, my editor and I decided the timing wasn’t right to release the story. We needed more than one source to verify the story, plus we couldn’t risk the informant (or myself) becoming a target of these criminal enterprises types who use lawsuits, death threats and other intimidation practices to silence those who attempt to expose them. Some of what this informant, (who later revealed part of his identity), told me was uncovered in court documents during Peer’s arrest last November. The rest, I’ll leave for another post.
Write me if you have a particular topic you want to see covered.
In the meantime, Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Showing posts with label phony locksmiths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phony locksmiths. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Locksmiths should get listed with ALOA, LegalLocksmiths.com and/or local associations
I significantly changed my website, http://www.find-a-legit-locksmith.com/, this week by removing all the locksmith listings and I’ll eventually take the site totally down. I had originally created the site by listing, for no charge, all the locksmiths that had registered for a business license. Any locksmith who wanted to add their phone number and website could pay an annual fee.
I had assumed the “locksmith” scammers had not and would not bother to get a business license. I was wrong.
According to Larry Friberg, co-founder of LegalLocksmiths.com, phony locksmiths are now obtaining business licenses and then attempting (unsuccessfully) to use them to gain membership with his organization. Friberg and his partner do a comprehensive background check on those who apply and lists those who qualify.
Since I didn’t have the time or resources to verify how credible my listings were, I removed them and linked both my site and my blog to LegalLocksmiths.com at http://www.legallocksmiths.com/ and ALOA’s (Associated Locksmiths of America) site which lists locksmiths at http://www.findalocksmith.com/.
While LegalLocksmiths.com charges $25 for membership (which pays for the background check), the only benefit is getting listed on their website and, at the same time, supporting their mission to combat this national scourge of phony locksmiths.
According to ALOA’s website, membership costs $195 annually plus a $50 application fee. Membership includes a free bond, discounts on services, education, supplies and conference fees and a monthly magazine. While ALOA’s background check may not be as extensive the one as LegalLocksmiths.com does, they do require a recommendation from a sponsoring locksmith member. ALOA’s fees may be out of reach for the average locksmith right now especially while locksmiths endure the double-whammy of a down economy and losing significant market share to phony locksmiths. Still, locksmiths should consider membership.
Local locksmith associations also do a great job backgrounding and listing legitimate locksmiths. Unfortunately, most of the association websites I’ve seen are not user-friendly so it’s difficult for the average consumer to easily find a locksmith. In addition, most association names are not SEO-friendly (Search Engine Optimization) which means associations don’t show up early on an Internet search. ALOA and LegalLocksmiths.com have both user-friendly and SEO-friendly websites.
Discouraging news
Friberg, a former law enforcement officer, and his partner, by the way, are really sticking their necks out by standing up to this major threat to the locksmith industry. According to published news reports, local and federal police agencies believe the phony locksmiths (hired by call-center owners), are connected to organized crime, started in Chicago, have been entrenched in the U.S. for more than 12 years and are here for the long haul. It's a very serious situation. Local law enforcement are helpful and some state attorney generals are beginning to file lawsuits against the call-center owners, but federal agencies such as the FBI and Homeland Security are pouring resources into terrorist threats much to the neglect of domestic problems. Unfortunately, anyone who does stand up to this scourge can expect to be either sued, face the threat of being sued, receive death threats or all of the above.
According to news stories, there are about 6 to 8 call centers around the country including one in Florida. (See my April 5th blog post “Missouri Attorney General sues Florida Locksmith Company.”) It’s estimated that these call centers each average 400+ JOBS A DAY!!! That is more than 12,000 per month and is a HUGE loss to local locksmiths around the state.
The best thing locksmiths can do, besides educating the public, is to encourage those who are on the frontlines of the battle such as LegalLocksmiths.com by supporting them and, of course, pray for their safety along with anyone else who stands up against the scamming call-center owners. The $25 a year fee is not too much to ask to support them while at the same time enhancing one’s own credentials. Locksmiths should, of course, get involved with their local and national associations.
I had assumed the “locksmith” scammers had not and would not bother to get a business license. I was wrong.
According to Larry Friberg, co-founder of LegalLocksmiths.com, phony locksmiths are now obtaining business licenses and then attempting (unsuccessfully) to use them to gain membership with his organization. Friberg and his partner do a comprehensive background check on those who apply and lists those who qualify.
Since I didn’t have the time or resources to verify how credible my listings were, I removed them and linked both my site and my blog to LegalLocksmiths.com at http://www.legallocksmiths.com/ and ALOA’s (Associated Locksmiths of America) site which lists locksmiths at http://www.findalocksmith.com/.
While LegalLocksmiths.com charges $25 for membership (which pays for the background check), the only benefit is getting listed on their website and, at the same time, supporting their mission to combat this national scourge of phony locksmiths.
According to ALOA’s website, membership costs $195 annually plus a $50 application fee. Membership includes a free bond, discounts on services, education, supplies and conference fees and a monthly magazine. While ALOA’s background check may not be as extensive the one as LegalLocksmiths.com does, they do require a recommendation from a sponsoring locksmith member. ALOA’s fees may be out of reach for the average locksmith right now especially while locksmiths endure the double-whammy of a down economy and losing significant market share to phony locksmiths. Still, locksmiths should consider membership.
Local locksmith associations also do a great job backgrounding and listing legitimate locksmiths. Unfortunately, most of the association websites I’ve seen are not user-friendly so it’s difficult for the average consumer to easily find a locksmith. In addition, most association names are not SEO-friendly (Search Engine Optimization) which means associations don’t show up early on an Internet search. ALOA and LegalLocksmiths.com have both user-friendly and SEO-friendly websites.
Discouraging news
Friberg, a former law enforcement officer, and his partner, by the way, are really sticking their necks out by standing up to this major threat to the locksmith industry. According to published news reports, local and federal police agencies believe the phony locksmiths (hired by call-center owners), are connected to organized crime, started in Chicago, have been entrenched in the U.S. for more than 12 years and are here for the long haul. It's a very serious situation. Local law enforcement are helpful and some state attorney generals are beginning to file lawsuits against the call-center owners, but federal agencies such as the FBI and Homeland Security are pouring resources into terrorist threats much to the neglect of domestic problems. Unfortunately, anyone who does stand up to this scourge can expect to be either sued, face the threat of being sued, receive death threats or all of the above.
According to news stories, there are about 6 to 8 call centers around the country including one in Florida. (See my April 5th blog post “Missouri Attorney General sues Florida Locksmith Company.”) It’s estimated that these call centers each average 400+ JOBS A DAY!!! That is more than 12,000 per month and is a HUGE loss to local locksmiths around the state.
The best thing locksmiths can do, besides educating the public, is to encourage those who are on the frontlines of the battle such as LegalLocksmiths.com by supporting them and, of course, pray for their safety along with anyone else who stands up against the scamming call-center owners. The $25 a year fee is not too much to ask to support them while at the same time enhancing one’s own credentials. Locksmiths should, of course, get involved with their local and national associations.
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