Security Tips fom Steve's Locksmith

Security Tips for Home & Office:

1.   Make sure there is ample lighting on the inside and outside of your home and business.
2.   Frequently cut back bushes and shrubs from walkways, doors and windows.
3.   Do not let newspapers or mail pile up while you are away.
4.   Ladders and other items should be stored away to prevent access to a second story.
5.   Ask your neighbors to keep an eye out for strange activity while you are away and offer to do the
        same for them.
6.   Are you a creature of HABIT? Try to change your daily activity. Don’t always park in the same spot,
        and try to vary your departure and arrival times. Carry items close to your body.
7.   Never leave your vehicle running and unattended.
8.   Never leave valuables in plain sight.
9.   Keep a watchful eye on strange vehicles in your neighborhood.
10. Do not leave packages out where they can be seen from the street.

Things to think about: What is lock bumping?

Lock bumping is a way of opening a lock using a specially filed key that is the same size and shape as the key normally used in the target lock. This special "bump" key is inserted into the target lock and then struck with a tool made of rubber or plastic. The impact of the bump key on the tumblers inside the lock temporarily pushes them up, allowing the lock's cylinder to turn. This method, if done correctly, can open a lock quickly and with relatively little noise.

"The main concern is that it is so darn easy and that you don't need any special tools or training. You only need a key, which in most cases is an easy thing to get," says Barry Wels, founding member of The Open Organization of Lockpickers (TOOOL), a Dutch locksmithing club that has helped promote awareness of the technique among government officials and consumers alike. "If you take a motivated 15- or 16-year-old and give him an hour or two and $100 to invest in tools, he can open most locks."

To know if your lock is vulnerable, just look at the key to your front door. Some of the most popular locks by manufacturers such as Schlage, Master, Yale and Kwikset may be susceptible to lock bumping. Other potential targets include recently built condos, apartments and subdivisions or gated communities, where one lock manufacturer often supplies similar locks for every house in the community. A thief would have to gain access to only one key to be able to make a bump key that would open all the locks in the neighborhood.