Did Someone Tamper with Your Lock?
You know that scene in a movie when someone returns home and they just know someone has been in the house? That moment might be fun to watch, but it’s not a feeling you actually want to have. But what if it does happen to you? How can you find out if someone tampered with your lock? As a locksmith in Wakefield, MA, security is our specialty at Hayden Safe & Lock.
If you’re concerned that someone has tampered with your lock, call a locksmith and then check for these signs of tampering.
Brute Force
The quickest and messiest way to break into a house is brute force. The most obvious way is to kick in the door, though bashing in the lock or drilling through the deadbolt would be pretty obvious as well. There are subtler ways to use brute force to gain access to a building, but you can easily spot it if you know how. Warped doors or doorframes and bent deadbolts or latches indicate that a lock was forced. You can also look for circles scratched in the paint or finish of the door near the lock fixture movement. That can indicate that someone loosened and then tightened it out of place.
Bumping and Picking
If there are no obvious signs that someone forced the lock, look for evidence of subtler methods. There are two ways a burglar can tamper with a lock: bumping and picking. Bumping is a quick method of opening a lock that locksmiths had kept hush-hush since the early 1900s until a Dutch talk show spilled the beans in 2005. Essentially, a burglar will file down the teeth of a key and then use this “bump key.” They then insert the key into the lock and hit it with another object to bump each of the tumblers into place. If they hit it too hard, they will leave nicks and shiny edges around the keyhole that you can see.
Picking a lock is the “traditional” method of tampering with a lock. But it’s a lot harder than they make it look in the movies. To pick a lock, someone inserts small tools into the lock to rake the pins and make the tumblers catch. This method also takes the most time and expertise to use successfully. However, the tools leave small, fine scratches as they wiggle around inside the lock. Scratches that are too fine to be made by a key indicate that someone has tried to pick it.
Locksmith Wakefield MA: Upgrade Your Home Security with Hayden Safe & Lock
If you want to increase the security of your locks, you need a locksmith in Wakefield, MA. We carry and install locks are hardware from the top manufacturers to keep your home or business safe. With everything from high security to keyless entry, we have everything you need to feel safe and secure.
