Scam Type
Home Improvement Scam
Business Name Used
24/7 Locksmiths
Date Reported
September 28, 2023
Postal Code
08721
Total Dollars Lost
$ 243
Scam Description
The scammer knew I was in a rush to get somewhere & I also confided in him telling him I wanted the cheapest option possible because I was selling my mom’s house. All he had to do was change out a front door lock. He spent an hour trying to “fix” the front door by drilling, spraying probably what was WD-40, having me try to open and lock the door & at one point he was ready to say the job was finished when the lock stuck a little less. When he was about to leave, he asked me to pay him for the completed job (even though it was in the same condition as before) as well as for a new handle. I told him that I’d pay him for the diagnosis visit & he got a little angry saying he did the job & pressured me into at least paying for “fixing” of the lock fee even without being fixed. He left through the front door and I left through the back. I then realized his car was blocking my van & he hadn’t left yet & was talking on the phone to his boss standing next to my vanBa. That’s when he stated his boss gave him an idea for a solution and if that didn’t work, he’d have to put a new handle on for $50 to $75. He said he could make it back that day 6 pmish & then texted me that he was on another job & wouldn’t be able to make it until 7:30 pm. Then he texted me again & said he couldn’t make it then, but would be able to make it any other time I texted him. I never texted him back because at that point I was certain I was being scammed.
Background: The scammer didn’t come in the 2 hour timeframe. I called & he said he could come whenever I needed, so I asked him to come in a half hour timeframe and he came an hour later. I didn’t realize until after all was said and done that his car wasn’t marked nor did he have a uniform on.
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