Signs Someone’s Meddled With Your Lock

Everyone wants to be safe in their home and having sturdy, trusted locks on your doors and windows is one way to increase your peace of mind. Although it’s often clear if you become a victim of a burglary when valuables are taken, it can be more difficult to detect someone who might be meddling with your locks, in hopes of finding an opportunity to steal at a later time.

According to the FBI, roughly 7.7 million property crimes are committed each year. The team at Downs Security Solutions wants you to be aware of the signs of lock meddling so you can better protect your family and belongings in your Atlanta home.

Forced Entry

This method is probably the easiest to detect as perpetrators often don’t take care to hide their attempts. Signs of forced entry may include drill evidence around a deadbolt, bent or broken locks, and marks or damaged doors. Look for signs that lock fixtures have been moved from uneven paint or loose screws as well as warping around doors and frames.

Bumping Locks

Bumping locks involve filing down the teeth of a key into a miniature saw, which creates a bump key. The key is inserted into the lock and manipulated to bypass the lock. Signs of bumping may include small nicks around the keyhole or warped pins and bolts.

Picking Locks

Just like in the movies, thieves can pick a lock using small tools inserted into the keyhole. Essentially, an individual can pick a lock by raking the pin tumblers one at a time with a flat screwdriver or similar tool. Picking can be difficult to detect, but may leave tiny scratch marks near the keyhole.

Protection Strategy

One of the best ways to protect your GA home is to upgrade your locks with UL437 Listed High Security deadbolt locks. These locks will protect you from forced entry as well as all methods of professional bypass techniques.

In addition, you can take some common sense precautions like creating a neighborhood watch or simply having a good relationship with those who live next door. Installing motion detector lights or just having a well-lit yard can discourage would-be thieves as well as having a guard dog.

Investing in smart lock technology is certainly another option growing in popularity as well, although widespread, cost effective options are not yet available in many cases.

If you’re ready to update your locks or want additional information about home safety, contact Downs Security Solutions in Atlanta, GA. Our professional team is standing by at 404-873-2515 or feel free to contact us online!

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