Medeco M3 Locks Picked and Bumped

Notice in the above video's, prior knowledge does not appear to be required, regarding the technical configuration of the tumblers.

Medeco locks have been touted as the most secure product of it's kind in America for the last 30 years.

For true bump proof and pick resistant products, look no further than Bilock Extreme Security products.

Master Key Systems America LLC, is one of only two authorized and fully equipped Bilock Extreme Security dealers in Missouri. There are other resellers of factory produced product but only we and Bates Street Lock & Key are able to create and produce in-house systems right here in St Louis.

Crime Statistics - Maryland Heights MO UPDATED

We now post the updated list of crimes reported to Maryland Heights, MO police department for the period 4-30-09 to 5-30-09. (We apologize for the quality of the image)

There were a total of 245 crimes reported for this period.

Robbery - 4

Break & Enter - 43

Theft - 184

Assault - 7

Sexual Offenses (incl. Prostitution) - 9

For accurate or specific details or more detailed information please visit CrimeReports.com .

Master Key Systems America LLC, a family owned company are providing residents and businesses of the greater St Louis region with premium products and services aimed at minimizing potential losses and reducing criminal activity. The current economy is having noticeable affects on crime rates across America. The St Louis region has, in recent years, led the nation in crimes reported.

To minimize the impact to your family and business or property, contact us NOW to understand how you can protect yourself, your colleagues, your businesses and your families with state of the art products and services.

Master Key Systems America LLC - St Louis Locksmiths - 'Securing St Louis - One Door At A Time'     .

Copy Cat Locksmiths

It is not enough that the country is battling the phony locksmith scams, there is another scam that is also just as deceiving that is scamming thousands of Americans. Copy cat locksmiths are basically individuals who have decided that instead of spending years building a business of their own, they will copy an established local locksmith who has built a successful business and earned the trust of the public. One copy cat situation that is going on is happening in Coral Springs, Florida. 

Richard's Locksmith and Safe company has been in business for more than 39 years. Owner Jack Rothberg noticed a few years ago that someone was advertising a name very similar to his and advertising an address that was only one block away from the real Richard's lock shop. The copy cat address is actually a Chinese restaurant and has nothing to do with the copy cat. Jack thought that all he would have to do is notify the authorities and this problem would go away. To Jack's surprise, there was not much that would be done about this crime and because he reported the crime, he was retaliated against by the copy cat. 

The copy cat came by Jack's shop and shot out his van windows, cut his gas lines and put and bullet through Jack's shop window. Being the security professional that Jack is, he caught the entire crime on video. The copy cat was arrested but so far has never spent a day in jail. If you would like to see the video of this crime, you can click on the link below and watch a local NBC story that aired in south Florida. We can honestly say that this copy cat case is the worst we have ever seen here at Legal Locksmiths.com. 

These copy cat's are popping up all around the country and the public needs to be aware of what is happening. If you feel that you have been a victim of a copy cat locksmith, whether you are a consumer or a locksmith, we would like to hear form you. Please click here and fill out our complaint form.

The above article appears in the Legal Locksmiths Website. Legal Locksmiths.com has been established and is operated by Larry Friberg who is a former Phoenix police detective who has over 28 years of law enforcement experience, and many years of experience working in the locksmith and access control industry. There are many legal locksmiths that are fed up with the illegal locksmiths who are operating in the US and they too have helped create this website. There are thousands of locksmiths that are law-abiding professional business owners who have been operating legally for many years. Unfortunately, there are now thousands of phoney locksmiths who are ripping off the general public everyday and giving all locksmiths a bad name.

There have been tens of thousands of victims over the last few years, and even though federal and local law enforcement agencies are cracking down on some of these criminals, you still need to be aware of what is happening.  We want you to know that there are legal locksmiths waiting to assist you. That is what LegalLocksmiths.com is all about.

Bluegard Bluetooth Enabled Access Control

This new development in access control solutions by EMX, allows for control of automatic doors, gates or other access controlled entry ways.

The simple solution here allows up to 10 bluetooth equipped mobile phones to be registered as "keys", enabling secure access to controlled areas.

Just dont lose your mobile phone.

(source...)

How To Repair Door Closers

Blogging often involves many labor intense hours of writing and researching, especially if you are composing your own original works.

I try to acknowledge the source of my reference in most if not all articles written here.

This next post is actually by well respected Author and Locksmith Tom Rubenoff and the source of this article is from Hubpages.

Door Closers

This article is primarily about surface mounted door closers, but the ideas herein can be applied to other kinds of door closers as well.

Door closer adjustment is an art that requires knowledge, patience, and an ability to climb up and down a ladder several times, but with these attributes and the appropriate wrench, hex key or screwdriver, you can do it yourself.

Most of the adjustments are implemented through the opening or closing of hydraulic valves. When it comes to turning the screws that operate these valves, a little goes a long way. A turn of 5 degrees can significantly increase or decrease closing speed.

CAUTION: DO NOT COMPLETELY UNSCREW DOOR CLOSER HYDRAULIC ADJUSTMENT SCREWS OR YOU WILL RUIN THE CLOSER AND VOID THE WARRANTEE.

Also, hydraulic fluid will leak out of the closer and make a mess. This will make you unpopular.

A door closer is a mechanical device designed to close a door slowly, but firmly enough to latch. It accomplishes this by using spring tension modulated by hydraulic fluid. As the user opens the door, hydraulic fluid passes from one reservoir to another, and as the spring pushes the door closed again, the hydraulic fluid passes back to the previous reservoir through a series of valves that control the speed.

The illustration at right shows the effects of the common hydraulic adjustment controls available on most commercial grade door closers. Controls for swing speed and latching speed control how fast the door closes, and many closers also feature a hydraulic control for back check that controls the last few inches of the opening the door so as to prevent the door from being slammed into an adjacent wall.

• Swing speed adjustment controls how fast the door closes from fully open to within about 5 degrees of closed
• Latching speed adjustment controls how fast the door closes for those last few inches
• Back check adjustment controls the amount of resistance to opening the door past a selectable point

The illustration below shows the various hydraulic control valves. These might be located in many configurations, but you will usually see the back check control located somewhat away from the latch speed and swing speed controls.

There are also door closers equipped with an additonal valve for Delayed Action. Delayed action closers hold the door open for a longer period of time to allow persons with disabilities more time to get through the door.

Also notice the Spring Tension Adjustment in the illustration above. Spring tension controls the "size" of a closer. The term is misleading, because it does not actually have anything to do with the physical dimensions of the closer. Size is determined by the width of a door. "Sized" closers, that is, closers that have a factory pre-determined spring tension for a particular door width, have no spring tension adjustment. Many door closers today are "non-sized", indicating that spring tension can be field adjusted to fit the size of the door.

It is tempting to use the spring tension adjustment to solve problems, for example, in positive pressure situations where air flow is preventing the door from closing properly. However, the tighter you make the spring, the harder it will be to open the door. It is possible to tighten the spring tension to the point that some people will not be able to open the door.

Adjusting the Door Closer

To adjust the door closer, bring a step ladder tall enough so that you can easily reach the door closer from the second or third highest step. Climb the ladder and examine the closer. If you can't see adjustment screws, chances are the closer has a cover. Usually the cover is plastic, but it could also be metal. If you see no fasteners holding the cover on, that means the cover is held on by tension. Pull it off. If you do see fasteners, usually you can loosen, but not remove, the fasteners and the cover will slide off.

If you find that there is oil in the cover or oil on or leaking from the closer body, you can stop right now. You need a new door closer. If, however, it is not leaking, you can proceed.

Now that you have the cover off, you should be able to see the adjustment screws. If you are lucky, they will be marked on the closer body as to what they are or there will be a diagram inside the cover. If not, you may have to experiment a little to see which is which. Remember, when it comes to turning door closer adjustment screws, a little goes a long way. Start with no more than 1/8 of a turn. Turn the adjustment screw clockwise to slow the door closer down, counter-clockwise to speed it up. then get down off the ladder and observe the effect.

Open the door and watch it close. If it closes right the first time, check it 10 more times. If it closes correctly every time, you're done. If not, go back up the ladder and make another adjustment, etc., until the closer is doing what you want it to do. When it closes the way you want it to 10 times in a row, it will probably continue to do so.

Ideally a non-delayed action door closer will close and latch the door in 7 to 8 seconds.

Problems

If you expect a door closer to consistantly close the door, as a prerequisite the door must close properly. If there is a hinge problem, a warped door, or the door must swing uphill to close, a door closer will only go so far in solving the problem. Sometimes a door must be repaired before it will close and lock automatically with a door closer.

In vestibule conditions, where you have an exterior door, a small space, and then an interior door, the trapped air between the inside and outside door can be a factor. You may have to adjust both closers to get both to work correctly. Wherever air pressure is a factor, including negative or positive pressure situations, I have have gotten door closers to close and latch the door consistantly by adjusting them to a slow swing speed and a somewhat fast latch speed. The slow swing speed seems to give the air a chance to get out of the way and the fast latch speed gives it a very slight slam at the end to make sure it latches.

Trouble Shooting

• If oil is leaking from your door closer, throw it away and buy a new one.
• If your door closer is slamming the door and cannot be adjusted to do otherwise, either the fluid has leaked out or the valve seals are worn out. Either way, your best option is to replace it.
• If the closer stops closing the door before it's closed all the way, or actually spings back when you try to manually shut the door, the arm is probably installed on the shaft incorrectly. Download the instructions from the door closer manufacturer's web site and see if it is installed correctly.
• If the arm makes noise and bounces up and down while the door is in motion, tighten the fasteners that hold the arm to the closer, to the header, and at the knuckle that holds the two parts of the arm together.
• If the door closer has no spring tension and the spring tension adustment turns round and round with no effect, the spring is broken the door closer must be replaced.

More about Tom Rubenoff

Strikemaster II - Copycat Test

Came across a test of a copycat of the Strikemaster II product as videoed by an independent dealer. They set up their own conditions and proved the effectiveness of their duplicated version of this clearly superior product.

The product displayed here is NOT Strikemaster II but quite possibly an infringe of the patent. Nonetheless, it still reinforces the reason why products of this kind greatly enhance the physical protection characteristics of door jambs and frames.

I have personally installed numerous Strikemaster II units, many of them to door jambs that looked almost identical to the one destroyed here.

One of the great things about Strikemaster II, is that installation on your home after a similar break in, can effectively reduce your repair/replace bill by multiple hundreds of dollars. To accurately compare the difference in costs, call a local builder/contractor and inquire as to the cost to install a completely new door and frame.

The benefit that Strikemaster II provides, that this copycat product does not, is the 5 feet of laminated protection, making it substsantially harder to penetrate.

A new door and frame will not withstand a kick-in attack like the Strikemaster II will, so take that into consideration when you look to purchase your new door.
video removedCost for New door and frame =~$600.00 installed
Cost for Strikemaster II =~$165.00 installed

Cavity Sliders

Here is another product designed and manufactured by a brilliant New Zealand company called Cavity Sliders.

This lock has pure form and function. It uses a 3 pin tumbler cylinder, effectively allowing pocket doors or cavity sliding doors to be key lockable as well as having the hardware slide effectively into the cavity.

(source...)  Thanks to Cliff Forrester, general manager of J. Larsen & Co in Queensland Australia established 1917. Cliff Forrester is a veteran career locksmith who is considered an industry stalwart. His knowledge and expertise spans multiple generations and product lines. 

Pocket Door Locks With A Key - UPDATE

Many inquiries I receive are from people requesting hardware to effectively secure their sliding pocket doors. There are very few products in the USA that achieve this without considerable expense.

Luckily for us, a forward thinking company from Australia have already produced a competitively priced key locked pocket door lock that is simple to install and looks good too.

The Cowdroy P697 Cavity/Pocket Door Lock, is secured using a 5 wafer (disc) tumbler mechanism, providing a 100% bump proof lock.

Securing your pocket doors has never been so easy.

(source...) Thanks to Garry Aumann of Keyman Services, Gold Coast, Australia.

$105.00

Keyring Scale

Finally! Someone has done it. They created the perfect office accessory.

How often is it, that you are required to weigh a parcel or letter to determine the cost for postage/cartage (delivery)?

As a supplier of product across the country, I find it a constant challenge to accurately determine shipping costs.

Now with the Keyring Scale, the task of correctly determining weight just got so much easier and convenient.

Easy-to-use clip makes it simple to weigh small objects like letters, jewelry and coins. Backlit LCD displays weight in grams (g), ounces (oz) penny weights (dwt), or grains (gn). Capacity: 8oz x 0.005oz; 225 x 0.1g.

(source...)

2009 St Louis Award Winner

I am humbled again by my customers who nominated me to receive the 2009 St Louis Award.

"For the second consecutive year, I am pleased to announce that Master Key Systems America, LLC has been selected for the 2009 St. Louis Award in the Locksmiths & Keys category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

Nationwide, only 1 in 70 (1.4%) 2008 Award recipients qualified as 2009 Award Winners. I'm sure that your selection as a 2009 Award Winner is a reflection of the hard work of not only yourself, but of many people that have supported your business and contributed to the subsequent success of your organization. Congratulations on your selection to such an elite group of small businesses."

"The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community. 

Also, a copy of the press release publicizing the two-time selection of Master Key Systems America, LLC is posted on the USLBA website. USLBA hereby grants Master Key Systems America, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, distribute, and display this press release in any media formats and through any media channels."

Yelpie - Portable Safe

A novel new approach to securing your valuables remotely. You may be at the beach or on a picnic or simply out for a walk and require to store your keys or wallet or sunglasses or mp3 player from prying hands.

Enter the Yelpie - Portable Safe.

Manufacturers Description

Yelpie's advanced motion sensor alarm works to keep your valuables exactly where you left them, while being smart enough to know what's an accidental bump and what's an attempt to steal your belongings. 

If a thief attempts to move your Yelpie, a loud 90dB alarm goes off! 

The Yelpie is large enough to comfortably fit car and house keys, wallets, MP3 players, mobile phones, sunglasses or other small valuables - but even items too large to be placed inside the Yelpie can be left in public more securely by tying them to the Yelpie: if somebody tries to walk off with your surfboard, the Yelpie alarm will activate! 

Perfect for use at the beach, picnics, sporting events, training grounds, swimming pools, gym, school or work lockers, golf course, camping, motor homes, caravans, or when taking the kids for a play in the local park.

How It Works
 

1.	Put your belongings into Yelpie.
2.	Close and set the alarm.
3.	Alarm activates if disturbed for more than 2 seconds. Alarm will automatically cease if Yelpie is put down and left alone again.
4.	To deactivate the alarm and open the Yelpie portable safe, enter your personal code using the Yelpie's strong and weatherproof keypad. No keys to be lost!. (source...)

What Locks Cannot Be Bumped

Many searches lately seems to be from people who are concerned about Lock Bumping.

In the USA, there are many advertisers who try to portray their products as bump proof or bump resistant.

The truth be told, there are only two (2) 100% guaranteed bump proof locks available today in the USA. Bilock and Abloy.

The new Kwikset Smart Key system is considered almost completely bump proof too, however there are many published bypasses for these locks so be aware before relying on them to secure your homes.

Other locks that cannot be bumped include, all wafer/disc tumbler locks including automobile locks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, boat ignitions etc.

The bumping principle works on all pin tumbler locks that use pin stacks. A pin stack is found in standard pin tumbler mechanisms, like Yale, Schlage, Kwikset, Corbin Russwin, Titan, Defiant, Baldwin, Lockwood, Byrd, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock etc.

Fraudulent Companies Aided by AT&T Yellow Pages

Recently, we reported here about the Missouri Attorney General suing Dependable Locks Inc, their listed principal David Peer and their host of fictitious business names and addresses.

We have sourced copies of letters written by the Missouri Attorney General's department that were hand delivered to AT&T.

We now include a copy of the original letter that was hand delivered to AT&T in St Louis.

If you click on the picture you will be able to read the exact document that was presented.

Suffice to say, this is indeed a great day for the locksmith industry in Missouri. The Missouri government has acted to protect it's residents and legitimate locksmith service providers.

Whereas this is just the beginning of one front in the war against unscrupulous companies preying on consumers, perhaps it should be seen as notice to all other similar mediums to tighten their business practises and verify the listings in their publications, both printed and electronic, prior to publication.

This effort by the Missouri government shows that some governments of the people, by the people and for the people, can achieve noteworthy and respectable results without the need to practise licensing of trades or other implicit revenue generating programs that can and are, not being enforced by other states in feeble attempt to rid themselves of these fraudulent companies.

The great states of Illinois, California and Texas actively pursued licensing of locksmiths as their attempt to purge their states of unscrupulous marauders, only to find that the lack of enforcement and the subsequent applications for licenses by representatives from the aforementioned companies, substantially reduced any perception of protection for their residents and legitimite locksmith service providers. These states, effectively have made the conditions for existing legitimite locksmith companies, more mired in red tape and bureaucratic bungling and caused the public to be subjected to higher service prices and charges as a result.

The clear and present action, as shown by the forward thinking Missouri government, is to combat the mediums who allow these companies to procreate and indirectly take advantage of the residents and citizens of Missouri.

Congratulations Chris Koster - Attorney General and Jay Nixon - Governor!

Neighborhood Crime Summary - St Louis MO January - March 2009

We are attempting a new post to include the latest crime statistics report broken down by neighborhood from data compiled and published by The St Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The intention here is to inform residents of the different neighborhoods as to the types and quantities of the various crimes being committed, to help their decision making processes for better securing their families, residences and properties.

All information is sourced from publicly available records.

We will list the total quantities of crimes by suburb. The crimes included are: Burglary, Arson, Larceny and Theft, commonly known as Property Crimes.

For more accurate and detailed statistics we suggest visiting http://www.slmpd.org and clicking on the Crime Stats tab.

Locality - Total

Academy - 76

Baden      - 149

Benton Park - 70

Benton Park West - 78

Bevo Mill - 157

Botanical Heights - 15

Boulevard Heights - 61

Cal-Bell Cem - 3

Carondelet - 138

Carondelet Park - 3

Carr Square - 50

Central West End - 295

Cheltenham - 18

Clayton-Tamm - 41

Clifton Heights - 42

College Hill - 55

Columbus Square - 39

Compton Heights - 28

Coveant-Blu-Grand Ctr - 80

DeBaliviere Place - 43

Downtown - 303

Downtown West - 221

Dutchtown - 219

Ellendale - 30

Fairground - 48

Fairground Park - 1

Forest Park - 30

Forest Park SE - 78

Fountain Park - 28

Fox Park - 54

Franz Park - 40

Gravois Park - 103

Hamilton Heights - 58

Hi-Point - 21

Holly Hills - 27

Hyde Park - 41

Jeff Vanderlou - 132

Kings Oak - 13

Kingsway East - 75

Kingsway West - 86

Kosciusko - 34

Lafayette Square - 36

Lasalle Park - 40

Lewis Place - 39

Lindenwood Park - 103

Marine Villa - 56

Mark Twain - 86

Mark Twain I-70 Ind - 26

Mckinley Heights - 40

Midtown - 152

Mount Pleasant - 69

Near N Riverfront - 55

North Hampton - 85

North Riverfront - 29

North Point - 75

O'Fallon - 102

O'Fallon Park - 1

Old North St Louis - 44

Patch - 48

Peabody-Darst-Webb - 31

Penrose - 145

Penrose Park - 1

Princeton Heights- 62

Riverview - 22

Shaw - 84

Skinker-Debaliviere - 48

Soulard - 98

South Hampton - 61

Southwest Garden - 69

St Louis Hills - 50

St Louis Place - 39

The Botanical Garden - 0

The Gate District - 44

The Greater Ville - 140

The Hill - 52

The Ville - 43

Tiffany - 42

Tower Grove East - 132

Tower Grove South - 4

Tower Grove Park - 252

Vandeventer - 44

Visitation Park - 32

Walnut Park East - 102

Walnut Park West - 68

Wells-Goodfellow - 134

West End - 118

Willsmore Park - 1

Wydown-Skinker - 8

(source...)

Crime Statistics - St Louis MO

This months crime reports statistics is from data compiled by the Oakland MO police department.

March 11 - April 10 2009:

Theft - Larceny : 39

Assault: 14

Theft - Fraud: 12

Theft - Forgery: 9

Breaking & Entering: 4

Robbery: 3

Theft of/from vehicle: 3

We are also about to include data on crime reports by neighborhood as compiled by the St Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

We have noticed a significantly increased interest is crime statistics in our region and we hope that these statistics help to educate people as to the goings on in their neighborhoods.

(source...)

Bilock Deadbolts - Special Ends

Due to overwheming demand for the best BUMP PROOF deadbolt available, we have ended our special pricing from the last month.

Our thanks to the many requests for this quality product.

We anticipate more specials in the coming months.

Stay Tuned!

Check out the new July Special!

Biometric Thumblock

BioAxxis Development Corporation has spent the last 18 months designing, developing and patenting the next revolution in biometric fingerprint door lock technology - the BioAxxis® ThumbLock™. We have reformulated the concept of what a fingerprint lock should look like and simplified access so that the biometric sensor is now located conveniently below the handle - at your thumb. 

This fingerprint door lock is one-of-a-kind. The Mona Lisa of biometrics. There is no standalone biometric door lock available on the world market like it in terms of…

1. Customizable Access Methods
2. Security and Quality Standards
3. Versatility and Feature Set
4. Regulatory Compliance
5. Access Control Capability

The BioAxxis® ThumbLock™ was designed for a wide range of applications. For the high-end residential consumer, this biometric door lock puts all the others to shame. While beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, don’t be fooled. The ThumbLock™ is a security system on your front door, providing you with a highly sought after lifestyle improvement. It can be installed indoors or outdoors with no concern for rain, snow, dust or humidity. You can transform your world from “care free” living to “key free” living with the ThumbLock™ and become the envy of your neighborhood. Think of the applications….

1. Single family residence
2. Townhomes
3. Condominiums
4. Apartments
5. Rental Properties

For the commercial customer, the ThumbLock™ is a must have product if you are serious about security and ensuring no more risk associated with shared keys or shared swipe cards. You can rest assured that you will know exactly who is using your locks at all times. Not only will you have Audit Trail tracking capability but also a fully features Access Control system on the door. And you will receive the uncompromising commercial-grade quality standards synonymous with the BioAxxis® brand. This lock is a true workhorse, capable of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of duty cycles. And compare the pricing of the ThumbLock™ to the other PIN-code only door locks on the market – for comparable dollars, you will receive so much more for your money with the ThumbLock™. Here is a brief sampling of the commercial applications… 

1. Hospitals & Pharmacies
2. Universities
3. Government & Military Installations
4. Manufacturing Facilities
5. Law Firms

Your BioAxxis® ThumbLock™ is easy to program and easy to use as a standalone system. To enhance the performance, you can add the following upgrades…

The AT Upgrade (coming  June 2009) will work by downloading audit trail records to a 1GB flash drive. Easy to use Audit Trail software based in MS Access will be included in this package as well.

The PCMU™ (PC Management Upgrade - coming June 2009) will also be available to centrally enroll fingerprints in your PC with a fingerprint scanner and manage each individual user's rights per lock as though the ThumbLock™ was a full-blown access control system. You will not believe the feature enhancements this will provide! You can then upload that programming information to the flash drive to program all your ThumbLocks. And you can still download your Audit Trail data using the flash drives.

Available at Master Key Systems America, from June 2009.

Price On Application.

Master Key Systems America LLC/Locks210.com prefers to deal in Bioaxxis products because of their superior design and quality. Having investigated multiple products, we have found that the Bioaxxis product line offers the best security and value for money.

Missouri Attorney General Says Locksmith Has Gouged Customers

Missouri Attorney General says locksmith has gouged customers

BY STEPHEN DEERE

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

04/04/2009

A Florida-based locksmith company has been gouging customers in St. Louis and elsewhere for about a year, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said Friday. 

Koster has sued Dependable Locks Inc., and its registered agent, David Peer, of Dunedin, Fla., for seven violations of state law. He is asking a judge to order the company to stop doing business in the state and grant each victim $1,000 per violation. 

At a press conference in St. Louis on Friday, Koster said about 30 people have complained to his office about the company, which operates under 16 different names in the phone book and on yellowpages.com. 

When customers called the businesses, which they often believed to be local, they were routed to a call center in Florida, Koster said. The call center would quote a price to fix or open a lock, and then dispatch an employee to a vehicle or residence. The promised price was often about $50.

"When they arrive 30 minutes later, they say, 'This looks like a difficult lock and it's going to be at least $150, and we need it tonight in cash,'" Koster said.

The company also listed false addresses with the phone company, according to Koster. At the press conference, he was flanked by pictures of an AT&T office in St. Charles, a St. Louis woman's home and a Captain D's restaurant. All were places the company had given as addresses.

"If a customer wants to go and complain to this business, they can't go and find it," Koster said. 

Messages seeking comment from the company were not returned.

Koster also is asking that AT&T disconnect the numbers that Dependable Locks has used and for the phone company to remove all the listings from the Internet. 

Given how many names the company has used, Koster believes there are thousands of victims. He urged anyone who thinks they may have been a victim to contact his office (visit ago.mo.gov; or call 1-800-392-8222).

Koster did not know how many employees the company has in the area or how they have been recruited. He said his office is still determining "who we intend to drag into court."

(source...)

Wireless Digital Peephole

A different version of the wireless peephole concept now available, but perhaps a little expensive.

This super intelligent device is designed to retro-fit in place of an existing peephole and enables full color images of persons or objects outside the door.

The innovative Digital Door Viewer ™ is an electronic video system designed to replace common door viewers and peephole viewing tubes. The Digital Door Viewer ™ delivers on-demand, high quality images, and is totally integrated and self-contained.

• Stand alone function — requires no connection to external power wiring or monitor displays
• Quick and easy to install into new construction or retrofitted to existing door
• Easy operation — press a button and a color video image is displayed on a monitor mounted on the inside of the door
• Provides an expanded field of view from a comfortable viewing distance

$399.00

(source...)

Black & Decker Wireless Locks UPDATE

As previously reported here, Black & Decker, owners of the Kwikset, Weiser and now Baldwin brands are in the process of releasing their own version of a wirelessly activated and lockable entry door system.

In contrast to ‘electronic’ locks that require the user to manually actuate the bolt to lock or unlock the door, Black & Decker’s electronic motorized lock throws the bolt and provides the ability to lock and unlock doors via a RF remote control, Web-enabled mobile phone, security system touch panel and/or a secure Internet connection. Wireless and remote access-enabled Black & Dekker locks also feature SmartKey technology with BumpGuard protection that allows homeowners to re-key their lock themselves without removal from the door.

Product Features

Motor driven bolt allows you to remotely lock/unlock the door without manual assistance

Operates off of 4 AA batteries

Battery life is one year based on 15 uses per day

Holds up to 30 users

Easy installation

Fits all standard doors and replaces all standard deadbolts

Back-light integrated in keypad

Compliments any existing door hardware

Available in 3 finishes: Venetian Bronze, Satin Nickel and Polished Brass

Time fence capabilities — grant individual user access by time of day or day of week

Time stamping and audit trails

Pricing TBA

(Source...) (picture source...)

March 2, 1887: The Birth of Master Lock Co.

By Randy Alfred 03.02.09

1887: Harry Soref is born. The inventor will miniaturize the security of a bank vault into the everyday padlock.
As a young man, Soref earned his living as a traveling locksmith in the United States, Canada and Mexico. During World War I, he invented a special padlock for protecting tanks and other military equipment.
Soref established the Master Key Company to produce skeleton keys, but he had an idea to improve padlocks at no great expense. Most padlocks of the time had cheap metal casings that you could easily bust open with a hammer. Security? Hah!
Building a padlock from thicker steel would be expensive. Instead, Soref applied the design of bank vaults and battleships: Use multiple layers of thin pieces of steel in a laminated construction. In his patent filing, he said: "A great advantage which flows from my invention is that the material employed in the production of the laminations is available to the manufacturer without any cost attached thereto. Such laminations are punched from the small 'scrap' which is created in very large quantities in manufacturing establishments operating punching presses."
Soref tried to interest big hardware companies in the idea, but engineers thought the construction process was too cumbersome. So, with backing from a couple of friends, Soref established the Master Lock Company in 1921 and began building the little devils himself in a small Milwaukee shop — with five employees, a drill press, a grinder and a punch press.
The locks — patented in 1924 — were tough, and the company prospered. Corporate lore says Soref taught Harry Houdini how to hide keys under his tongue and between his fingers.
Milwaukee was famous for its beer, but Prohibition was in force. When the growing firm needed larger quarters, it moved into the shut-down Pabst brewery. Master Lock sent a famous shipment of 147,600 padlocks to federal agents in New York City in 1928, and the irony was not lost on many that speakeasies and distilleries were soon shut down and secured with locks made in a former brewery.
The American Association of Master Locksmiths in 1931 awarded Soref's many achievements with the only gold medal it has ever bestowed.
Soref died in 1957 and never saw Master Lock's famous 1974 SuperBowl commerical. It featured a high-powered rifle shooting a hole through a sturdy Master Lock without opening it.
(source...)

Hidden Special Price For Lockwood 7444 $105.00 (With $1.00 Shipping In The Lower 48 Only)

Color Choice

Satin Pearl   Chrome Plate

 

Can You Account For All Your Keys?

Duplicates Open House For Criminal

By: Johnny Jenkins

Gina is a sales woman at a midsize retail store. She is a very beautiful woman who is comfortable working with all types of people. She makes a good living and enjoys her work very much. She has a nice expensive sports car and a nice home. She usually hires other people to perform maintenance on her home and take care of her car.

Her schedule simply does not allow her to keep pace with the everyday things such as home and car maintenance. She takes very good care of her car. She gets all the vehicles scheduled maintenance and periodic inspections. She usually waits for her car. She gives the mechanic her ring of keys and they return them when they are finished.

She has been going to the same mechanics for years. She trusted them. They were a family business and friends of her family. Unknowing to her they had hired an outsider to do janitorial work. He had just moved into town and convinced the owner the he was in desperate need of work in order to move his family to the area. They were kindhearted people and decided to give him a try.

One day she brought her vehicle into the shop for some routine maintenance. She greeted everyone as she usually does and pitched the mechanic the keys. Then she took a seat in the waiting room. The mechanic took the car in and started the inspection. He left the keys in the car to keep from loosing them as they always did.

The mechanic had to take a bathroom break, so he left the area for a few minutes. That was enough time for the new guy to wander over near the car. He acted like he was getting a hard to reach piece of trash. He reached into the car and made a quick impression of all Ginas keys. He also looked on the invoice and got her address.

When Gina left the mechanic shop, her keys were returned. The next day Gina went to work as she normally does. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to set her house alarm. She had a pretty good day at work. She returned home to find her front door open. She called the police to escort her inside the house. At first everything looked normal, but then she moved to her bedroom.

It was in shambles and her jewelry valued at $500,000 was gone. She was devastated, but also happy that she was not there when they robbed her. She filed a report with the police. They theorized there was no forced entry. Whoever robbed her was already in the house or had a key. That is when it hit her. The mechanics shop was the only place where she was separated from her keys.

She knew everybody there, so who could have done such a thing. She told the police and they went to the shop to investigate. They asked the owner about his employees. He asked if there was anybody he thought would have done this? He said no. Then he asked if they had any new employees. He said, I did but he quit this morning. That is when everything came together. The new guy was guilty. He was long gone and never found.

Always keep your house keys separate from other keys. While it is a little inconvenient, it reduces the risk of inadvertently becoming a victim. It only takes a few minutes for someone to make an impression of your keys. If you loose all your keys and the wrong person finds them, then you could be the target of a crime. If you do loose your keys, have all your locks changed immediately. Always have a self defense strategy in case of emergency.

(source...)

Or call Master Key Systems America to get keys that cannot be copied.

Bump Keys - Discover Why Your Door Locks Are Probably Useless

By: Eric Graudins

You are about to discover something that scared the hell out of me. The locks I rely on to protect my family and my business can be opened without damage in seconds. By just about anyone, using easily found information about Bump Keys.

You don't need special tools. Or locksmith training. All you need is a normal key that you can file down with an ordinary file. Or you can buy a bump key on the internet.

Firstly - my philosophy. I don't believe in "Security by Obscurity" - where severe problems with the things that we rely on are covered up and kept secret for use by people who want to harm us. The technique of bump keying (also known as rapping) has been known for over 50 years. Lock manufacturers and criminals know all about it. While all of us poor suckers still buy crappy locks that we falsely believe will protect our families and possessions.

What's the Problem?

There is a fundamental flaw in the design of the pin and tumbler mechanisms that are used on commonly sold latches and deadlocks. Including those rated as "high security". This flaw makes it possible for anyone to open many of these locks - even deadlocks - very quickly using a technique known as "bumping" This technique does not damage the lock. All you need is a filed down key that fits into the lock, and some practice using a certain technique,

In a bizarre twist, the more expensive locks are actually easier to open, because of their tighter tolerances, and better quality. A Dutch consumer organisation tested over 60 locks that have been approved by the police as providing High Security, and found that most of them could be bumped open.

I realise that locksmiths and criminals have always been able to open locks without keys. But this technique allows almost anyone to do it. At first, I thought Bump Keying was a joke, so I spent a large part of a weekend researching it. Unfortunately I found that the technique actually works.

Imagine This. You arrive home (or at your business), unlock the door, and discover that everything of value is missing. Your new Home Entertainment system, Computers, Stereo Equipment, etc. etc. All gone. You are devastated. But that's nothing to what happens next. You call the police and your insurance company, and make a claim. The insurance company refuses to pay.

What's worse - they think you did it - because there is no sign of illegal entry, and your premises are protected by high quality locks. They might even charge you with attempted fraud. Not a nice situation for an innocent, recently burgled person to find themselves in.

This situation is apparently becoming more and more common. In Australia some companies will pay out on a theft claim where there is no forced entry, as long as the theft has been reported to the police. Some won't. (Check your situation with your insurer.) And even if your premises are not burgled, are you comfortable with the fact that someone can open your locks, come in and snoop around your house, and then leave without a trace? Bump Keys make this possible.

Bump Keying - The Proof.

NOVA is a well respected European TV program. They have made a video, which includes a full demonstration of key bumping, and comments from lock experts and police. Like I said, it scared the hell out of me - especially after I tried an experiment myself, and found that everything I had discovered was true.

I obtained a bump key, and practiced on the deadlock on my back door for about 5 minutes. After about 15 tries, I got the technique right, and the lock opened. Another 10 tries - did it again. Another 5 minutes, and I could do it almost every time. I tried another lock at home - and it opened. I then went over to my sister's house, and she was stunned when I opened her security deadlock at the second attempt. (total time taken for both attempts: - 4 seconds)

Not every lock can be bumped. I've tried 2 others without success. But experts estimate that the technique will work on the majority of commonly used house locks.

How Many People Know about This? Many Millions. There are lots of Internet sites and fully documented reports about the technique readily available on the internet. Bumping has been widely reported in Europe, and covered on several TV programs. The US magazine Newsweek also did a story on it recently, and it's all over the social contact sites that young people use.

What To Do Next

1. If you are concerned about this, go to your locksmith and buy a bump proof lock cylinder.
I understand that Abloy disk tumbler locks, and BiLock locks cannot be opened by bumping.

2. Do some research regarding the topics discussed here.

3. Take as much (or as little) action that you feel is necessary to adequately protect your family and property.

(source...)

Bilock Deadbolts - Special

For all the security conscious people out there, this is the Bilock Deadbolt. A grade 2 deadbolt available in brass, satin chrome (stainless steel), dark bronze. Supplied with your choice of keyhead colour. Choose from almost 9000 colours.
This is a totally bump proof and virtually pick proof lock. Each Bilock system is carefully designed to maximise security. Bilock offers total key control. Only a correctly authorised written request will be accepted to provide duplicate keys and only from the locksmith agent that set up the system.

Single Cylinder version $1 69.00
Double Cylinder version $2 29.00
Includes 3 keys.
Installation P.O.A.

LIMITED SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS
BILOCK SINGLE CYLINDER DEADBOLTS $80.00 EACH

(Missouri residents pay sales tax @7.5%)
NOT INCLUDING SHIPPING

Email requests preferred.

You will receive a signature authority form to return. Unreturned forms will be unable to purchase additional keys in future.

USB Storage Solution

Following up on their CurrenKey ultraportable flash drives, Lacie has a new storage solution that will have you losing even more keys then you already do. This one takes the form factor of…keys.

These miniature microSD card readers offer 20MB/s read and 10MB/s write speeds. PassKey supports microSDHC cards, and both iamaKey and itsaKey are avaialable with 4GB or 8GB of built-in storage. It won’t start your car or get you into your home, but it may still scratch a lottery ticket and they are shock-proof and Windows ReadyBoost-compatible.

(Thanks SlipperyBrick)