This week I got locked out of my car. I left the keys in the trunk of a 2022 Toyota Camry. A car that happens to have strong anti-theft features.
In a state of desperation, I looked for locksmiths in my area. First Google ad that popped up for “Locksmith Redmond” seemed like a reputable website. To confirm their credibility, I looked up their Google reviews: 400 five star reviews.
I requested the service, and twenty minutes later some dude turns up in a Ford Escape. He proceeds to “open the car” and quotes me $299 on the spot for simply opening the door.
If you’ve dealt with anti theft on these Toyotas, you know this solves nothing. You can’t get into the trunk without disabling it.
I refused immediately: are you insane? He started getting aggressive with me. It’s me and this dude, alone in a parking lot at 10 PM. Dude’s twice my size, I was terrified. Long story short, he didn’t get the money.
It was a scam, a bait and switch. In my state of nerves, I fell for the reviews. I took a look at the reviews after the situation was resolved.
Clearly fake reviews: same writing style, similar names. Only two or three people who actually exposed the scam.
I’m a very tech savvy guy. I got screwed by fake reviews and Google ads this week. I have a feeling this measure won’t stop them.
Locksmiths, plumbing, electricians and other services in any major city are plagued by people whose actual business model is setting up a website, CRM system and pipeline to sell "hot leads" to shady trunk slammer type contractors. It's trivially easy to have a phone number that looks like it belongs to the area code for (your city here) but goes to a call center offshore. It's a whole well documented phenomenon.
In a state of desperation, I looked for locksmiths in my area. First Google ad that popped up for “Locksmith Redmond” seemed like a reputable website. To confirm their credibility, I looked up their Google reviews: 400 five star reviews.
I requested the service, and twenty minutes later some dude turns up in a Ford Escape. He proceeds to “open the car” and quotes me $299 on the spot for simply opening the door.
If you’ve dealt with anti theft on these Toyotas, you know this solves nothing. You can’t get into the trunk without disabling it.
I refused immediately: are you insane? He started getting aggressive with me. It’s me and this dude, alone in a parking lot at 10 PM. Dude’s twice my size, I was terrified. Long story short, he didn’t get the money.
It was a scam, a bait and switch. In my state of nerves, I fell for the reviews. I took a look at the reviews after the situation was resolved.
Clearly fake reviews: same writing style, similar names. Only two or three people who actually exposed the scam.
I’m a very tech savvy guy. I got screwed by fake reviews and Google ads this week. I have a feeling this measure won’t stop them.