Locksmith or mocksmith? How to tell before you let them in.

What California requires

California's Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) licenses locksmith companies (an LCO license) and registers every employee who does locksmith work. Both require fingerprinting and a Department of Justice and FBI background check.

A licensed locksmith must print their license number on advertising, invoices, and vehicles. If you can't find a number, ask for it — a real locksmith will give it to you without hesitation.

The four-point check

• Ask for the LCO license number, then look it up on the BSIS license search before they arrive.
• Expect a real street address — not a P.O. box, not a suite in another county, not “we're mobile.”
• Get a total price on the phone. Beware a low “service call” fee with the real price revealed on site.
• Know that drilling is a last resort. Most residential locks can be picked or bypassed without damage.

How lead-generation scams work

Out-of-area call centers buy search ads under dozens of fake local business names, take your call, and sell the job to whoever is nearby — often unlicensed. The quote on the phone is a fraction of the final bill, and the “technician” may insist the lock must be drilled and replaced.

Signs you have reached one: the phone is answered “locksmith services” instead of a company name, nobody can tell you the address, and the vehicle that arrives is unmarked.

When the technician arrives

• Ask to see their BSIS employee registration card.
• Expect them to ask for your ID — a licensed locksmith verifies you live there.
• Get the price in writing before work starts.
• Pay with a card where possible, and ask for an itemized invoice with the license number on it.