Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Deaf mum exploited by locksmith

60 replies

DanikaHill · 15/07/2025 20:19

Hello mums, lurker here, finally joing Mumsnet although for a reason I'm not thrilled by... Hopefully somebody can help me.

Today my deaf mum was locked out of her house so after googling Fast Locksmith London my mum clicked on this company that sent a man around to her address (her neighbour rang the number)... Turns out it's a scam.

After changing the lock the man told her hearing neighbour he would charge my mum £300, but ended up charging her £855.

The 'invoice' was a piece of paper with no VAT number (although VAT was charged) and a logo for a totally different company.

When I found out I called the guy who changed the lock (he left his number on the piece of paper) but but he said he didn't remember and to call the head office. I rang the 'office', a guy picked up saying this was a hotline not the head office, and that he couldn't give me the head office number and he couldn't help, and that I was inconveniencing him! I'll try calling them again tomorrow but something is very wrong here.

How these people can happily rip off a elderly deaf lady living alone is beyond me. It's so upsetting.

Does anyone have some advice for what my options are at this point?

She paid by debit so I don't think the bank can cancel the payment now.

What's more I was with her yesterday... If only this had happened when I was there... She's devastated but was afraid to not pay this man.

OP posts:
thequeenoftarts · 15/07/2025 22:26

Try do a chargeback on the debit card through your Mums bank . Report to police, involve age action and anyone else you can find to report this too

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 22:26

CursiveCrisis · 15/07/2025 22:26

This makes me so mad! My mum is Deaf too and was scammed out of £2000 a couple of years ago for some gardening work. They started doing it for her while we were away and said that more and more needed to be done. It didn’t. They prey on the vulnerable and it pisses me right off. Police weren’t interested even though we had CCTV.

A lot of people don’t understand Deaf culture and how Deaf people, while being mentally sound, have less awareness of things that would be obvious to the hearing community.

What would cctv show here as a genuine question?

CursiveCrisis · 15/07/2025 22:26

This makes me so mad! My mum is Deaf too and was scammed out of £2000 a couple of years ago for some gardening work. They started doing it for her while we were away and said that more and more needed to be done. It didn’t. They prey on the vulnerable and it pisses me right off. Police weren’t interested even though we had CCTV.

A lot of people don’t understand Deaf culture and how Deaf people, while being mentally sound, have less awareness of things that would be obvious to the hearing community.

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 22:24

ArtTheClown · 15/07/2025 22:15

true but I believe in second chances

These are scammers, this wasn't a one off, it's literally what they do.

sorry maybe i'm being naive

Plmnki · 15/07/2025 22:19

OP, so sorry this happened to your mum. These scammers also target any lone woman, not just vulnerable, disabled, anyone is fair game. A friend had an almost identical experience and was too intimidated to report it as the “locksmith” scammer has her address and knows she lives alone. It’s utterly horrible.

ArtTheClown · 15/07/2025 22:15

true but I believe in second chances

These are scammers, this wasn't a one off, it's literally what they do.

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 22:01

PollyBell · 15/07/2025 21:58

How would the op know who he scams?

Show quote history

maybe the threat of trading standards will scare him into honest work

PollyBell · 15/07/2025 21:58

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 21:19

text him and tell him if he scams anyone again you will go to trading standards

How would the op know who he scams?

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 21:55

Espressosummer · 15/07/2025 21:54

Or just report to trading standards now...
He's hardly going to take seriously a threat to report him if he continues. How would the OP know for a start.

Show quote history

true but I believe in second chances

Espressosummer · 15/07/2025 21:54

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 21:19

text him and tell him if he scams anyone again you will go to trading standards

Or just report to trading standards now...
He's hardly going to take seriously a threat to report him if he continues. How would the OP know for a start.

ElfAndSafetyBored · 15/07/2025 21:53

My MIL is pretty sharp and she got charged £700 for changing a lock - and was grateful. These predators are vile. I’m so sorry it happened to your mum.

As others have said, report to trading standards.

defrazzled · 15/07/2025 21:51

You and yours on the BBC covered this last week:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0lnpdr0
How did she pay? She should speak to credit/debit card provider re coercion. Have a listen.

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Complaints about rogue locksmiths rise by 45%

The Master Locksmith Association has given new figures to the You and Yours programme.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0lnpdr0

BallerinaRadio · 15/07/2025 21:50

This is a big issue amongst locksmiths at the minute, there is a big Master Locksmiths Association campaign to highlight this. If you get in touch with them they might be able to advise you.

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 21:49

it will be hard to prove what was said maybe unfortunately let this one go

allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld · 15/07/2025 21:48

@DanikaHill daylight robbery¬¬ I had to get a locksmith out one saturday afternoon to a tenant whose key had broken in the lock/ he came managed to get the door open and opened up the lock completely to remove all the broken bits. was there for 1.5hours and I was less then £100 for a sat afternoon call out.

coffeeandmycats · 15/07/2025 21:19

text him and tell him if he scams anyone again you will go to trading standards

Anotherparkingthread · 15/07/2025 21:05

Call him out again to somebody else's house and break his legs in a nearby ally video him and post his face absolutely everywhere.

anniegun · 15/07/2025 21:03

Try your local trading standards. We had a presentation from ours and they deal with this sort of thing all the time. There are some wide ranging offences for overcharging in circumstances like this (much more protection than I believed). They will often pick up the case where someone is vulnerable and do the legwork required. Police may brush this off as a civil matter but it is not

MyRootinTootinBaby · 15/07/2025 21:03

The guy saying he doesn’t remember isn’t good enough. She has the bill and the charge on her card. He should be able to explain why he’s charged that amount and to provide a price list to show what is usually charged etc. Could you get someone else to ring and ask him for a quote?

gamerchick · 15/07/2025 21:03

She tapped her card, for that much?. Or put a pin in the machine?

fatgirlswims · 15/07/2025 20:59

Sorry for you and your mum. I hope 3 get sorted. Report to 101 now and bank now and hope you have a ring doorbell. What was the reason given for the increase?
They must have used threats or intimidation, definitely dishonestly.

Some humans are just terrible.

we got locked out in freak accident - the door locked itself from the inside -and the locksmith was there in a hour and charge us £200 on Sunday too. So there are honest ones. How awful to prey on someone at their most vulnerable .

Original poster
DanikaHill · 15/07/2025 20:55

Thanks for the link.

To answer the previous question, the receipt (marked 'invoice') has the amount she was charged written on it, £855. Obviously this does not match the £300 he told my neighbour who then confirmed it with my mum. My mum was just confused I think that the charge agreed verbally did not match what was on the invoice and tapped her card...

When you are deaf you tend to put a lot of trust in hearing people... Rightly or wrongly...

OP posts:
PragmaticIsh · 15/07/2025 20:50

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
Link to action fraud.

PragmaticIsh · 15/07/2025 20:50

I'd also reassure your Mum that she's not daft, this can happen to anyone. It makes you feel so incredibly vulnerable to be scammed, and to feel scared not to pay someone in that kind of situation.

You can also report to Action Fraud.