Did You Know Criminals Can Buy Your House Key Online?

Did You Know Criminals Can Buy Your House Key Online?

What Your Homeowners Insurance Provider Needs You to Know About Bump Keys, Lock Bumping and Today’s Criminals

Breaking and entering accounts for over 20% of all non-violent crimes in the U.S.

Did you know that they were selling your house key on the Internet for as little as $1? No, probably not. Most people don’t, despite the fact that security companies and homeowners insurance providers are doing their best to educate today’s homeowners about the dangers of lock bumping-and the fact that a wet spaghetti noodle might do more to protect their home from vandals than many cheap manufacturer’s locks.

Lock bumping is a method that locksmiths have been using for years, creating skeleton keys (“bump” keys) to quickly disable basic pin tumbler locks. The method dates all the way back to the 1920s; however, it wasn’t publicized as a security risk until the early 21^st century, when a locksmith brought it to the attention of the German media. The basic principle behind bump keying is the same one you use when you’re shooting pool; if you strike the first ball in a row, the last one will go rolling away. But in this case we’re talking about the pins that stop your lock from turning.

When a bump key is slid partway into the lock, then “bumped” past the final tumbler, it creates a

Following Hurricane Katrina, FEMA discovered that nearly every home and trailer in the affected area could be opened using a small assortment of keys.

small window in which the lock can be turned and the door opened without causing any damage to the lock itself. The average thief can, with a little bit of practice, master the art of lock bumping and be into your home in a matter of moments, shutting the door behind them without anyone knowing they’re there.

Bump keying is a major problem for homeowners; first, because it allows thieves to walk in and out of their homes at will and second, because many homeowners insurance companies won’t pay for losses resulting from a burglary where the police find no signs of forced entry. They assume you left your door unlocked, at which point it becomes your own fault for not taking proper security measures.

Since you probably don’t want to have to pay to replace the contents of your home out of pocket (that HDTV was ridiculously expensive the first time around) here’s what you need to know to protect your home from lock bumping.

· First, lock bumping only works with pin tumbler locks. Electronic locks, magnetic locks and locks using rotating discs aren’t vulnerable to this break in technique.

· Because bump keys have to have the same blank profile as the lock it’s made to open, restricted or registered key profiles are safest. The limited access to their blank profiles (as opposed to the thousands of keys offered by today’s locksmiths for the average door lock) restricts the chances that a would-be criminal can get your key off the web for less than a cheap cup of Starbucks coffee.

And did you know they’re offering step by step instructions on lock bumping on You Tube for free?

· Well made locks are slightly more vulnerable than cheap locks, because the pins are designed to slide easily rather than jamming up and refusing to move when you’re standing in a rainstorm with your arms full of groceries. A higher quality lock is still your best defense, however. Security companies such as Medeco have been fighting lock bumping for years, and many of their locks are now designed specifically to stop this child’s play method of breaking and entering.

“Not all locks can be bumped; consumers just need to know the difference,” says Medeco technical director Clyde Roberson. “Consumers should consider using quality high-security locks for their home or business in order to have adequate protection from bumping and other forms of lock attack.”

· A 2006 analysis on lock bumping found that apartment buildings and business complexes that use a standard lock model or brand are at a higher risk for lock bumping, as are homes that change their locks but replace them with the same basic model.

· Locks with trap pins that engage when a pin doesn’t support them will jam the lock during lock bumping, and shallow drilling (when one or more of the pin stacks is drilled slightly shallower than the others) prevents lock bumping by placing the pins too high for the bump key to engage.

Lock bumping isn’t a locksmith’s secret anymore, and because bump keys can be bought on the web for practically nothing your home is wide open to invasion. Talk to a security specialist today and upgrade the locks on your doors. Your homeowners insurance premiums will thank you.

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