Nevada Man Preying on Good Samaritans

(VIA Carson County Times) In one Nevada county at least one man is taking advantage of good Samaritans claiming that he is in need of locksmith service. Not sure if this trick would work in the city of Philadelphia, but this man has been going up to residents claiming that he is a neighbor and needs $40 in order to pay a locksmith to get back into his home. The man claims that he would be able to repay the neighbor as soon as he gets his wallet from the house. Of course after residents gave the man $40 he was found to not be a neighbor and was actually just using deceptive tactic to steal a quick $40. Philadelphia may be less willing to trust a story such as the one this Nevada man pulled, but it is still important to keep your guard up even in situations where you want to be a good samaritan. At Phila-Locksmith we always recommend, as part of overall residential security, to get to know your neighbors in order to get a better feel for home secure your home is. If the neighborhood had been a little more tightly knit then maybe residents would have been able to identify that this man was in fact not a neighbor. Police have been unable to find the man yet and are urging residents to contact their office should this occur again.
If this situation were to occur and you wanted to assist the man who came to your door, Phila-Locksmith has the following suggestions. Ask the man the address that he lives at, any hesitation or lack of specifics should be a red flag that this individual may not be a neighbor. Another step that you can take to ensure you are not being taken advantage of is to go to the neighbor’s home and pay the locksmith directly so you know that service is actually taking place. Lastly recommend that the individual have a family member provide their credit card information. Locksmiths who accept cards should also accept card information as a “deposit” if the customer’s payment method is locked in their home or vehicle.