Lexington Car Keys
Hi! I’m Jake from Lexington Car Keys! What began as a hobby of lock picking when I was 13 led to a job unlocking houses and cars at 15. I graduated from LSI in Nicholasville for Automotive Key Generation & Programming at 17. In 2022, I began managing the Kentuckiana region of 24/7 Locksmith; in 2023, I took over responsibility for the Lake Cumberland Regional Area. Today, I’m proud to return to my roots and work where I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky.
Auto Key Replacement
At one time or another, most people have lost their car keys. You can often track them down by retracing your steps, but that’s not always the case. If you need to replace your car key, you can rely on Lexington Car Keys to quickly get you back on the road.
Vehicle Unlock Services
Locking yourself out of your vehicle is always annoying, and it can be dangerous in certain situations. An automotive locksmith is the best way to get back into your car quickly without causing any damage.
How to Avoid Scams
Locksmith Scams in Lexington, KY: What You Need to Know
While there are many types of locksmith scams, one method our team at Lexington Car Keys wants to highlight involves out-of-state call centers working with dishonest technicians to overcharge customers.
Scammers often use tactics like “Google Guaranteed” listings to appear at the top of search results. This gives the impression that they are a trusted, local locksmith service. In reality, when you call, you’re often routed to a call center in another state—commonly places like Ohio—instead of a local professional.
These companies frequently advertise a $29 vehicle unlock, which is far below the typical daytime rate of $75–$125 in the Lexington area. It sounds like a great deal, so customers agree to the service.
However, once the technician arrives, the situation changes.
The individual may show up in an unmarked personal vehicle or a van with a generic or fake logo. After unlocking the vehicle, the technician suddenly adds a $200+ labor fee, claiming the original price only covered a basic service call—not the actual work performed.
This type of pricing tactic—advertising a low upfront cost and significantly increasing the price afterward—is a well-documented locksmith scam method.
According to the Better Business Bureau, locksmith scams often target people in urgent situations, making it easier for customers to overlook warning signs and agree to inflated charges.
(Source:
https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22797-bbb-scam-alert-locked-out-dont-fall-for-a-locksmith-cons)
At that point, customers feel pressured to pay.
Unfortunately, resolving the issue can be difficult. Because the service was technically completed, law enforcement may treat it as a civil matter rather than fraud, leaving customers stuck with an inflated bill.
We’ve personally seen this happen to customers here in Lexington, which is why we believe it’s important to educate the community and promote honest, upfront pricing.
