Lock Bumping | Bumping Locks | Bump Keys | Bump Lock | Stop Lock Bumping

Nov 262010

What is lock bumping and how do I prevent bump keys from working in my home locks?

How do I stop lock bumping?

What is lock bumping?

Lock bumping is a process of inserting a special key into a lock,and giving it a tap with the intent to trick the lock into unlocking! The facts are very scary! Most door knob and deadbolt locks can be bumped in a matter of seconds allow a burglar access to your home! Below are some videos that I found on You Tube that show just how easy it really is! If you really want a serious write up about lock bumping click this link to got to the page in Wikipedia on lock bumping!

Lock bumping is a serious problem for several reasons. First, it lets anyone get into your home with very little effort and with about five minutes of practice! Second, not only can you buy bump keys off the internet, but you can make a bump key out of any ordinary old key you have! Third, most insurance companies require that you show proof of robbery! To do this you have to show forced entry. With lock bumping there is no sign that the home was robbed except for the things missing! This can give your insurance company an out, so check with your agent to make sure you are properly covered! Make sure there isn’t a statement like”policy doesn’t reimburse for non-forced entry claims”!

Here is a link to a pdf from NAIC (National association of insurance commissioners) on the basics of a homeowners insurance policy.

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A warning about insurance companies!

I decided to post this following statement because of the seriousness of it! This is a quote from the consumer affairs page on homeowners insurance! You should pay attention to this! A link to the whole page is below where you can look at just about any insurance company and the crap they have pulled against an insured. Take my words seriously… If you every need to file a claim with the insurance company, hire an attorney first before you call them! If you have a burglary or fire your first call should be to an attorney and not your insurance agent! If you haven’t taken picture of all your valuables, you should do that tonight! Just about everyone has a digital camera, take a few hundred pictures and put them on a disk or zip drive! Store them at your bank, at a friends, at work, or in a home safe! Perhaps you should make two copies and store them in two different places!

“Most of us never file a serious claim against our homeowner’s policy. Good thing, too, because as the complaints below attest, insurers will do just about anything to squirm out of paying a big claim.If you are ever unfortunate enough to suffer a major loss — from, say, a fire — our advice is to hire an experienced attorney immediately, before you make any tape-recorded statement to the insurance adjuster. You’ll need help — and it’s not likely to come from your friendly adjuster. Don’t believe us? Read what happened to Brenda.”

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Remember your insurance agent is your friend as long as you are paying him and he doesn’t have to pay you! Never make any statements to an insurance adjuster, regardless of what he or she tells you! They are bad people with intent to do you very wrong! It is so worth paying for a public adjuster or an attorney! Remember this, if a third party produces the numbers on your loss, it will be dramatically higher than what your insurance company offers you! The difference will easily cover what you have to give an attorney!

Videos on what lock bumping is?

In the first video the lock smith tells you that changing your locks is cheaper than an alarm system! That is not correct anymore! You can get an alarm system for your home without a contract! And it can be monitored for just $15 a month! You simply purchase the alarm system for $200 – $400, depending on the size of your home. You then get the monitoring without a contract for $15 a month! That’s 50 cents per day for monitored home security! Besides, lock bumping is just 1 of 6 major problems with your homes security that you need to fix! So trust me, getting an alarm system for around $300 is the easy way to secure your home! By the way the other problems are: Door kicking and door jam failure, garage door breaching, sliding glass doors, glass breaching, alarm system (reduces the time frame a burglar has)! Read more about this no contract security system(click here)!

In the above video Action News 5 news tells about the dangers of lock bumping! Remember this is just 1 of 4 areas of your home you need to secure! Click this link to go to my article on home security tips! This guy says it’s $150 for a lock upgrade and that’s just 1 door! A home security system from SimpliSafe is cheaper! No contract, cellular connection, wireless, and easy to install! Not that you shouldn’t install better locks, or fix the other three major issues with your homes security! But rather that if a burglar gets in you can limit the time they have to rob you! If the threat of Police being on the way is imitate, the burglar will have to decide if his freedom is worth rummaging around your home or not! For 50 cents per day you can have wireless home security monitoring that backs up your homes defenses! And the systems are inexpensive starting at $200 and then you add $15 per window or door, $30 for motion sensors, $20 for panic alarms! And you will build your own custom wireless home or apartment security system! Since there are no contracts this is also ideal for apartments, businesses, and work shops! Go to the main page of AlarmMySpace for more details!

In the above video the company PickBuster tells about a simple way to treat your existing locks so they become more bump resistant! I have not tried this product and did not find any reviews on it! I thought I would include it as a cheaper solution to increasing your homes security! At the far bottom of this page is the solution I feel is the best for stopping lock bumping! It also stops the second major problem with your homes security, door jam failure or door kicking! This of course is second to installing a home security system from SimpliSafe! All the security in the world won’t help you if they get in and have no time limit on their shopping in your home!

The above video is a demonstration of what lock bumping is and how easy it can be done! The average lock kit containing a locking knob and a deadbolt cost between $25 and $65! The cheaper the lock the easier it is to bump! This is a serious problem as you will see in the next video!

In the above video, and I really thought about posting this! You can see that this guy bought pre made bump keys for just about every lock on the planet! And worse than that, he probably got them ALL for about $10! Even worse than that, is the brand new lock that he bumps with almost no effort! This is new right out of the package and has a GRADE 2 ANSI RATING! This isn’t a cheap lock and I bet the one on your front door isn’t as new or a brand as great as this one! Since I am an x contractor and I love Schlage locks, I decided to include a link to their top of the line locks! These locks are bump resistant! Make sure that the locks on your home have a level 1 security, or a ANSI 1 RATING! Ultimately my recommendation will be to use the ultimate lock , a Schlage ANSI 1 DOOR KNOB , and back all this up with a SimpliSafe security system! You can maximize or super size by installing Door Jam Armor!

In the above video some burglars get busted! Police have a very hard time catching these guys because they almost leave no trace! Worse the homeowners and apartment renters that get robbed. Loose there stuff and have a hard time getting their insurance to cover the losses, due to lack of forced entry! So for these guys to get caught, has to bring at least a little comfort to those people! As they stated in the video, these guys were doing this for years! And the Police actually got lucky and stumbled upon all the stolen items and then traced it to robbery reports filed!

In the above video are the Master Lock BumpStop locks for your home and apartment! This is a good idea for upgrading your locking system, but you still need to reinforce your door jam! If you decide to replace your locks, make sure that your install some form of a door jam plate reinforcement too! And then back that up with a SimpliSafe security system, the the crooks are on a short time line! Also it is a good idea to have a safe in your home for serious valuables and insurance related items! Don’t forget to bolt the safe to something if it is small and can be picked up and carried!

In the above video is what I recommend you install on each of your exterior doors! I love this video! This is a great deterrent to keep intruders out of your home! The ultimate lock system comes in a commercial and a residential grade! Your exterior door should be a fire resistant door that is tin or metal plated! This does not work if your door is a hollow core door or just wood! Actually, they are using a ram and for a man to be able to kick through a door is almost impossible! So for the majority of front, side, and rear exterior door this is a very practical means of giving you true security!

In the above video you see the installation of the residential model of the Ultimate Lock, by Millennium Lock! This is just a great idea for making your locks bump proof and kick resistant! In the next video I will show you how to even step up your home security even farther! I love to super size things!!!

In the above video you see the Door Jam Armor product! If you just want the best door security product in the world on your homes entrances, then this is it! This product puts a plate that reinforces the door frame on both the lock and hinge sides! You just can’t do better than this! Of course you will most likely need a good contractor to install this! This just reinforces the door jams, it doesn’t stop lock bumping! You will still need to upgrade your locking systems! There are 3 grades to this product! If you look at the left side of the page you will see these products!

In the above video a reporter puts the Door Jamb Armor to the test! If you watch this video both parts are here! The news station used this as a ploy to get viewers to tune in on two separate times! But both parts are here! remember that this reinforces the door jamb and not the locks! You still need to stop your locks form being bumped! And you should get the SimpliSafe security system for your home too!

I hope you found this very informative! Please visit my blog at http://www.AlarmMySpace.com for even more on increasing your home, business, apartment, and work shop security! This is just the first or the four major problems with your homes security!

The four problems are:

Lock Bumping, Door Jamb Failure, Garage Door Failure, and Patio Door Locks! You need to upgrade all of these and install a security system to increase your homes security to the max!

Here is a video of the SimpliSafe “NO CONTRACT, CELLULAR CONNECTED” security system that you can own and then monitor for $15 a month! You Can start & stop service as needed because you own the system! Don’t get stuck in a 3 year contract with those other guys!