Protect your house and family from bump keys, part 2

Hello,

Our previous post was part one about bump keys.

Here now is part two. I hope the previous and following
tips and guidelines are useful for you.
Grade one hardware: locks that are classified grade one generally are made
for commercial installations and can be used hundreds of times each day and
still work for many years.  Even though they are commercial grade, many are
used on homes where people want the strongest hardware possible.

Grade three hardware: this is the lowest quality type of hardware usually sold
in most hardware stores and many internet stores that are not really familiar
with quality hardware.

We strongly suggest you never use this cheap hardware.

ASSA is one the predominant high security lock manufacturers in the United
States and has been trusted for more than thirty-five years to provide cylinder
and hardware security for the private, commercial and government sectors.

“No, you cannot go to the local hardware store or Home Depot and obtain
ASSA blanks or have ASSA keys copied.” says Sherwood

The real threat to the public is in not taking responsibility for their own safety
and not taking criminals seriously.

The Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) has issued press releases
to the public advising concerned individuals to contact and consult with a
Certified Locksmith (CRL, CPL, CML) or we also reccommend a State
Licensed Locksmith.

ALOA is located on the web at www.aloa.org

Instead we are giving you a broad range of security tips that will help make
your home less inviting to an opportunistic criminal, the above solutions
overview gives you an idea of what you can do immediately to improve your
security.

The final message is simple and some good news: Fit a bump proof lock to
your door today as there are several locks available that aren’t vulnerable to
bumping.

If you are concerned your safety is at risk feel free to call us for a security
consultation.

Ask us about ASSA high security locks that resist bumping.

I hope you will share this information with your family friends… and that you
will contact us when you are ready to upgrade from that less than ideal
lockset on your front door.

Sincerely,

Thomas Sherwood
615 355-5886
www.sherwoodlocksmithing.com

PS…Update about the so-called “WD-40 fix.” There are news media
agencies reporting that spraying WD-40 in the lock prevents the bump key
from working, however this information is absolutely wrong.

If you want more information or if we can advise you further on the security
of your home or business, we will make ourselves available at your
convenience.

Protect your house and family from bump keys, part 1

Hello,

This post has to do with “bump keys”.

On August 2nd, 2006, Newsweek ran a web article on bump keys that
started a public media spread of the information.

Bump Keys are an old locksmith method of opening or bumping locks.
Bump keys are usually considered to be a lock pick, so if lock picks are illegal
to possess in your geographic area, the bump key is probably also illegal.

Bump keys are “basically an old-fashioned way of picking a lock,”
said Jerry Cunningham, of the Danville Police Department.

Bump keys are certainly not the only way a criminal can enter your home,
business, or vehicle.

Police say burglars also tend to break-in in a more straightforward way, like
smashing a window.

Bump keys are just one more example of a threat to your personal safety.

Bump keys are no more a threat than any of the hundreds of other ways of
getting in your home, but now thanks to the internet and video sites,
lock bumping and lock bump keys are sweeping the internet and America.
So how can you provide the much needed security of your house against
bump keys?

First, you should be aware of this security vulnerability to your home and two,
you should consider buying a better lockset with more pins to make this
attack harder to execute.

In America, almost all the locks sold in hardware stores can be opened with
just two different bump keys.  ” Most consumer-grade deadbolt locks and
keyed doorknobs made by companies such as Kwikset and Schlage and
sold at home-improvement and hardware stores are easily opened with
bump keys.”

“Bump keys are able to bypass both the standard lock in your knob and the
deadbolt and it’s not just locks at home that concern security experts “It can
be pretty serious especially when you consider that more than five million post
office box locks can be bumped open in the same fashion which is perfect for
identity thieves.”

“High security locks add extra locking features within the cylinder which
makes the bumping much more difficult,” said Clyde Roberon of Medeco, Inc.

Police say there’s more to home security than just locks.

Police do say spending all that money won’t matter if you don’t take the next
step of locking your doors in the first place, or activating your home security
systems.

In part two, to be posted soon, we will discuss the different grades of locks,
High Security locks, and an internet rumor that is FALSE about bump keys.

Thanks for reading, stay safe,

Sincerely,

Thomas Sherwood
615 355-5886
www.sherwoodlocksmithing.com

PS….if you have any questions, please feel free to
contact us.