Alabama master locksmith, Stephen Chitwood, 50, admitted to police to burglarizing storage facilities in three states since October 2008 when he lost his job according to reporter Deborah Buckhalter with www.jcfloridan.com. Chitwood, who sold the items at a local flea market, said he’d take his dog with him to act as his lookout when he hit the storage facilities once or twice a week in Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
The Marianna (FL) Police Department cracked the case when they investigated the burglary of one of the storage facilities located next door to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Since the facility was within the city limits, Marianna PD sent officers to Alabama and spoke with Chitwood who admitted his crimes. Lt. Francis Davis of Marianna PD said the man was cooperative.
Authorities in Houston County, Ala. where the locksmith lives are holding a semi-tractor trailer full of items he took from various places while police in several jurisdictions look for additional victims.
Chitwood was not working as a locksmith when he lost his job, but was in another line of work. According to personnel at the Alabama Electronic Security Board of Licensure which licenses locksmiths, Chitwood had never registered as a locksmith. Locksmith laws came into effect in Alabama in 2007. Whether he couldn’t afford the initial cost of getting a license (about $500 total) or just not been able to pass a criminal background check, it looks like he won’t be passing one in the future.
In a separate incident and for the second time, a locksmith van was seen leaving a Penngrove, Calif. business that had been burglarized. A cleaning woman who arrived as the van was leaving, called the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office to report the ATM machine inside the Penngrove Pub had been broken in to.
According to Sheriff’s Investigator Sgt. Glenn Lawrence, a total of $1,200 was taken from the ATM, cash register and office. Lawrence said the case is an ongoing investigation and they are looking at the surveillance video to see if they can further identify the ski-masked burglar. Besides the mask and ski-vest, the video shows him to be a short, white male.
LeRae Meadows, who covered the story for EmpireReport.com, interviewed a former law enforcement official who believed the burglar was “an obvious professional” due to his ease with opening the exit door without leaving any evidence of a break-in and his ability to drill open the ATM.
Lawrence, however, said, “I wouldn’t say it was an obvious professional. What is obvious is that someone had some knowledge of that machine and how to defeat it.”
According to Meadows’ reports, the Penngrove business community has had 4 burglaries all on Main Street in the last few months. After another one of the burglaries, a Main Street business owner had also reported seeing a suspicious locksmith van in the area.
For more information or to read Meadows’ stories, go to:
Penngrove robbery fourth in town
http://empirereport.org/reports/20090804-penngrove-pub-robbery-fourth-in-town
Penngrove community fears further robberies
http://empirereport.org/reports/20090805-penngrove-community-fears-further-robberies-as-further-details-come-out
For more information or to read Buckhalter’s story, go to:
http://www2.jcfloridan.com/jcf/news/local/article/locksmith_turned_burglar_charged/86420
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Reality show casting for family-run locksmith business, deadline 7/24/09
A major television production company is conducting a nationwide search for an outgoing family-run locksmith business for a new reality TV show. The show would be similar to The Learning Channel’s (TLC) American Chopper series of a family-run custom motorcycle business.
According to the casting call posted on RealityWanted.com applicants must have at least 2 family members aged 25 – 45 working at the business full-time and who are not afraid to be themselves.
The ad states “We look forward to hearing your craziest stories, from naked people locked out of their houses to cracking safes when people forget their combination. Surprise us.”
To find out more about the casting call, go to www.realitywanted.com. You can register for free as a fan or a “star,” to read what scant additional information there is. However, to apply and find out who the casting director is, you must subscribe and pay a $3.99 a month fee (can cancel at any time) AND post personal information (height, weight, gender, education and upload at least one photo). Once you apply for the casting call, other website members can read your profile and vote for whichever applicant they think is best for the position.
I stopped just short of posting personal information trying to find out more details like which company had posted the ad. (No, I was not applying!) The RealityWanted.com website states that “they cannot answer questions about the casting process for particular shows posted since they are posted by casting companies not by RealityWanted.com.” They suggest contacting the casting director who posted the notice.
Deadline to apply is July 24, 2009. Excuse me while I go cancel my subscription.
According to the casting call posted on RealityWanted.com applicants must have at least 2 family members aged 25 – 45 working at the business full-time and who are not afraid to be themselves.
The ad states “We look forward to hearing your craziest stories, from naked people locked out of their houses to cracking safes when people forget their combination. Surprise us.”
To find out more about the casting call, go to www.realitywanted.com. You can register for free as a fan or a “star,” to read what scant additional information there is. However, to apply and find out who the casting director is, you must subscribe and pay a $3.99 a month fee (can cancel at any time) AND post personal information (height, weight, gender, education and upload at least one photo). Once you apply for the casting call, other website members can read your profile and vote for whichever applicant they think is best for the position.
I stopped just short of posting personal information trying to find out more details like which company had posted the ad. (No, I was not applying!) The RealityWanted.com website states that “they cannot answer questions about the casting process for particular shows posted since they are posted by casting companies not by RealityWanted.com.” They suggest contacting the casting director who posted the notice.
Deadline to apply is July 24, 2009. Excuse me while I go cancel my subscription.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Only 5% of locksmiths listed in 3 Central Florida phone directories are legitimate, 15% for a 1-page Internet search
Dell Sterling, a Colorado locksmith, was interviewed for a story on locksmith fraud by Denver Post reporter Anthony Bowe. According to Sterling, up to three-fourths of the locksmith listings in phone and internet directories are from a handful of shady firms operating under dozens of names and phone numbers.
That means he believes 25 percent of locksmiths listed are legitimate. I think his number is high especially when he’s including Internet listings. But not having seen any of Denver’s phone directories, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
I have, however, seen the three phone directories in Central Florida published by Embarq, AT&T and Verizon. With a total 1791 locksmith listings and only 88 legitimately registered locksmiths, that’s a rate of 5 percent. However, since all the legitimate locksmiths are listed at least once in each directory that would bring the total rate to about 15 percent, if you look in all 3 books and who’s going to do that?
As for the Internet, I checked every link on the first page of a Google search for a locksmith in my own city of Altamonte Springs. There are 31 ads and listings – only 5 locksmith listings are legitimately registered in Seminole or Orange County. So that breaks down to about a rate of 16 percent for the Internet.
My survey broke down as follows for the 31 ads/listings:
Legit - Position of ads/listing on 1st page of Google search
0 --- Top 3 Featured Google ads were all bogus or call centers
1 --- Only 1 of the 10 map ads (A-J) lead to a legitimate locksmith
2 --- Only 2 of the 8 side ads were legit, plus there was 1 school, 1 directory
2 --- 10 listings: 2 legitimate locksmiths, 4 directories, 4 bogus locksmiths
The 4 directory ads led to the same process over again - bogus and legitimate locksmith ads and listings together. Will discuss the directories in another blog.
Two of the questionable locksmith ads actually had local Altamonte addresses, so my husband and I went on a field trip. The first locksmith had the name 24 Hour 1 Day Altamonte Springs Emergency Locksmith. (Geez, don’t think you could squeeze in any more keywords into that name.) Their address on Miller Drive was actually a restaurant supply company that had never heard of them.
The second locksmith, Mack’s Locksmith Service, was legit until December when his state and county registrations ran out. We called the owner Bob Jacko when we couldn't find his street location. He told us it was the address for his storage unit. Jacko is legally registered in Orange County as Bob Jacko Locksmith in Apopka. Since Seminole County is a reciprocal county, Jacko's Orange County registration is perfectly legal.
That means he believes 25 percent of locksmiths listed are legitimate. I think his number is high especially when he’s including Internet listings. But not having seen any of Denver’s phone directories, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
I have, however, seen the three phone directories in Central Florida published by Embarq, AT&T and Verizon. With a total 1791 locksmith listings and only 88 legitimately registered locksmiths, that’s a rate of 5 percent. However, since all the legitimate locksmiths are listed at least once in each directory that would bring the total rate to about 15 percent, if you look in all 3 books and who’s going to do that?
As for the Internet, I checked every link on the first page of a Google search for a locksmith in my own city of Altamonte Springs. There are 31 ads and listings – only 5 locksmith listings are legitimately registered in Seminole or Orange County. So that breaks down to about a rate of 16 percent for the Internet.
My survey broke down as follows for the 31 ads/listings:
Legit - Position of ads/listing on 1st page of Google search
0 --- Top 3 Featured Google ads were all bogus or call centers
1 --- Only 1 of the 10 map ads (A-J) lead to a legitimate locksmith
2 --- Only 2 of the 8 side ads were legit, plus there was 1 school, 1 directory
2 --- 10 listings: 2 legitimate locksmiths, 4 directories, 4 bogus locksmiths
The 4 directory ads led to the same process over again - bogus and legitimate locksmith ads and listings together. Will discuss the directories in another blog.
Two of the questionable locksmith ads actually had local Altamonte addresses, so my husband and I went on a field trip. The first locksmith had the name 24 Hour 1 Day Altamonte Springs Emergency Locksmith. (Geez, don’t think you could squeeze in any more keywords into that name.) Their address on Miller Drive was actually a restaurant supply company that had never heard of them.
The second locksmith, Mack’s Locksmith Service, was legit until December when his state and county registrations ran out. We called the owner Bob Jacko when we couldn't find his street location. He told us it was the address for his storage unit. Jacko is legally registered in Orange County as Bob Jacko Locksmith in Apopka. Since Seminole County is a reciprocal county, Jacko's Orange County registration is perfectly legal.
Friday, June 5, 2009
“Locksmith” uses bogus job ad as new marketing strategy
It’s always bothered me when legitimate locksmiths use several bogus names and websites to draw people to their service. I use the online name A-Florida-Locksmith.com on our website but say it right on the top of my site that it’s our online name. I list the legal name of our business as well (Martin Security Group, Inc.), however, I haven’t created additional websites with bogus names and had them point to my website. I haven’t used bogus marketing techniques to push my site up to page one of a Google search.
Locksmithmiami, however, has a new marketing strategy – to post the same message of a bogus job on hundreds of forum, blog and guest book websites. I’ve tracked the same message on forums for gambling, adoption, young entrepreneurs, Buddhist, anarchist, gaming, appliance repair, writers, tech forums for both MAC’s and PC’s, British, website design and even job forums.
He’s also posted his bogus ad on Korean, French, Spanish and Vietnamese websites – in English, of course. It’s even on The Ethical Hacker forum. Not that I noticed that one before, but if you are going to post a bogus ad at least don’t post it on a site with the word “ethical” in the name. On every profile he lists himself as male and in the USA, except a soul sisters website, then he’s changed his gender - I guess to fit in.
Almost all forums were created within the last few days and most said that he was “offline,” except for one site that said he was online. I was tempted to jump in and ask him a question, but the forum title had such a perverse name I didn’t even want to click on it for fear I’d start getting Google ads flashed on every site that I go on including my homepage. It is possible to read the Google search listing summaries without clicking into the link to see where he’s been.
The forums administrators are beginning to catch on to his trick. I saw where he was banned from some forums including the pornography and sex addict support group - banned permanently, mind you. (so says the Google listing –didn’t go in). Boy, now he’s really in trouble.
Yuck! Who would want to answer a job ad from this guy? Would you want this guy coming to your home rekeying your locks? Not me.
Well, it looks like it’s almost over. He’s been reported several times to Stop Forum Spam with his one user name, his IP address (that’s his computer info) and his multiple email addresses. To see that, here’s the link:
http://www.stopforumspam.com/search?q=locksmithmiami
I did track down his actual website and called both the Miami phone and fax numbers listed and did not get an answer. Now his 866 number is forwarded to another Ft. Lauderdale, FL cell phone that’s not answered.
Locksmithmiami, however, has a new marketing strategy – to post the same message of a bogus job on hundreds of forum, blog and guest book websites. I’ve tracked the same message on forums for gambling, adoption, young entrepreneurs, Buddhist, anarchist, gaming, appliance repair, writers, tech forums for both MAC’s and PC’s, British, website design and even job forums.
He’s also posted his bogus ad on Korean, French, Spanish and Vietnamese websites – in English, of course. It’s even on The Ethical Hacker forum. Not that I noticed that one before, but if you are going to post a bogus ad at least don’t post it on a site with the word “ethical” in the name. On every profile he lists himself as male and in the USA, except a soul sisters website, then he’s changed his gender - I guess to fit in.
Almost all forums were created within the last few days and most said that he was “offline,” except for one site that said he was online. I was tempted to jump in and ask him a question, but the forum title had such a perverse name I didn’t even want to click on it for fear I’d start getting Google ads flashed on every site that I go on including my homepage. It is possible to read the Google search listing summaries without clicking into the link to see where he’s been.
The forums administrators are beginning to catch on to his trick. I saw where he was banned from some forums including the pornography and sex addict support group - banned permanently, mind you. (so says the Google listing –didn’t go in). Boy, now he’s really in trouble.
Yuck! Who would want to answer a job ad from this guy? Would you want this guy coming to your home rekeying your locks? Not me.
Well, it looks like it’s almost over. He’s been reported several times to Stop Forum Spam with his one user name, his IP address (that’s his computer info) and his multiple email addresses. To see that, here’s the link:
http://www.stopforumspam.com/search?q=locksmithmiami
I did track down his actual website and called both the Miami phone and fax numbers listed and did not get an answer. Now his 866 number is forwarded to another Ft. Lauderdale, FL cell phone that’s not answered.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Blagojevich did do something right
Ousted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich apparently did something right in 2006 when his administration suspended the locksmith license of Dependable Locks and its owner, David Peer for giving a fraudulent address on its license application, for failing to provide a list of its licensed staff and for failing to cooperate with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) in its investigation. The company was then based out of New York, but has since relocated to Florida.
The Department also suspended Price Line, based out of New York as well. Both companies listed their businesses with Illinois addresses, advertised their businesses in phone directories and used local phone exchanges and business names in their ads.
Consumers called a local number not realizing the companies had set up Remote Call Forwarding (RCF) numbers with the local phone company that forwarded their calls to call centers in New York.
The call centers then dispatched a sub-contractor to do the work. Illinois law prohibits unlicensed sub-contractors to work as locksmiths. Locksmiths must carry their locksmith license and the agency must also be licensed. Both companies complied with getting a license for their businesses but not for their employees. Not only must the employee pass a background check, they are also required to pass an exam to prove competency as a locksmith. I guess it was too much of an investment for the companies.
The Department also suspended Price Line, based out of New York as well. Both companies listed their businesses with Illinois addresses, advertised their businesses in phone directories and used local phone exchanges and business names in their ads.
Consumers called a local number not realizing the companies had set up Remote Call Forwarding (RCF) numbers with the local phone company that forwarded their calls to call centers in New York.
The call centers then dispatched a sub-contractor to do the work. Illinois law prohibits unlicensed sub-contractors to work as locksmiths. Locksmiths must carry their locksmith license and the agency must also be licensed. Both companies complied with getting a license for their businesses but not for their employees. Not only must the employee pass a background check, they are also required to pass an exam to prove competency as a locksmith. I guess it was too much of an investment for the companies.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Birds of a feather lock together
Dealing with tax collectors and their staff getting the needed information on registered locksmiths has been interesting to say the least. Different counties have different ways of listing or not listing the information.
My all-time favorite site thus far has to be Hernando County. Talk about user-friendly. They have only 19 locksmiths and besides the business name, and address and owner’s name, they list the business phone number – one of the few counties I’m come across that’s done that. The whole list can be easily printed out and stuck in the glove compartment of a car.
Will have to make some calls to see how accurate the listings are. While every listing has a business start date, renewal dates range from 2004 to 2007 when it should be 2009 or later.
There was, however, one suspicious-looking listing – Fancy Feathers & Friends in Brooksville, Fla. I called the owner Frank Haucke who said the business name was correct.
Since I assumed he had a pet shop full-time, I asked if he was doing locksmithing on the side. “No,” he said, “It’s a full-time job. At one time we owned a pet store and when we applied for the license for both businesses the county said we only needed one license.”
“When we closed the pet store, we didn’t change the name,” Haucke said.
Haucke said he had been locksmithing for more than 25 years and all his customers know him.
My all-time favorite site thus far has to be Hernando County. Talk about user-friendly. They have only 19 locksmiths and besides the business name, and address and owner’s name, they list the business phone number – one of the few counties I’m come across that’s done that. The whole list can be easily printed out and stuck in the glove compartment of a car.
Will have to make some calls to see how accurate the listings are. While every listing has a business start date, renewal dates range from 2004 to 2007 when it should be 2009 or later.
There was, however, one suspicious-looking listing – Fancy Feathers & Friends in Brooksville, Fla. I called the owner Frank Haucke who said the business name was correct.
Since I assumed he had a pet shop full-time, I asked if he was doing locksmithing on the side. “No,” he said, “It’s a full-time job. At one time we owned a pet store and when we applied for the license for both businesses the county said we only needed one license.”
“When we closed the pet store, we didn’t change the name,” Haucke said.
Haucke said he had been locksmithing for more than 25 years and all his customers know him.
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