How to Choose a Locksmith in NYC (Without Getting Scammed)

New York has a well-known problem with fake locksmith listings: call centers posing as neighborhood shops, quoting a tiny price on the phone and demanding a huge one on site. Here's how to tell the real shops from the fakes.

Green flags: a real local address (ours is 156 Delancey St), a local phone number you can call directly, a technician who arrives in a marked vehicle, and a written price before work begins. Real shops answer with their business name, not a generic 'locksmith services.'

Red flags: prices that sound too good to be true, dispatchers who can't tell you the technician's name or ETA, cash-only demands, and anyone who reaches for a drill before trying to pick the lock.

Check reviews, but check them critically: a 5.0 rating across dozens of reviews over time (like our 22 reviews) is meaningful. A perfect score with three reviews posted last week is not.

Finally, save our number — (212) 300-7173 — in your phone now, before you need it. The worst time to research a locksmith is while standing in a hallway at 2 AM.