Now you don’t have to break the bank for insisting upon SUPERIOR PROTECTION for your home or business, and–tonight you’ll sleep like a baby, AND STILL SAVE MONEY!

Dear Reader,

Every day more and more people are becoming aware of the danger posed to their homes and businesses by the internet phenomenon known as key bumping. News stories have been broadcast throughout the nation and across the world describing the key-bumping technique, and sounding alarm bells over the undeniable threat presented by bump keys.

Things have gotten to the point where you really have to ask yourself whether ANYBODY is looking out the American people anymore-and, if not, then why not? HOW DID WE EVER FORGET THAT WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT, AND THAT THE PROBLEMS WHICH THREATEN SOME OF US TODAY MAY COME TO THREATEN ALL OF US TOMORROW?

Well, key bumping is one of those threats, and the danger it presents is coming very soon to a neighborhood near you!

I’ve been a locksmith for a long time now, and have built my entire career around protecting the lives and livelihoods of thousands upon thousands of South Florida residents who were only marginally aware of the vulnerability of their homes and businesses until they met me. Sure, all of you understand the need to have locks on your doors just as surely as you need shoes on your feet, but you need to understand the topics of safety and security in greater depth to be well- protected.

No one in his right mind would deposit his money in a bank with cheap, discount- store camera systems, or a vault door which couldn’t be properly secured! But people routinely choose to protect their valued treasures, home offices, vehicles and EVEN THEIR FAMILIES behind locks designed for a kinder, gentler time.

It may shock you to think that the pimple-faced dropout from the house next-door may very well be on his mom’s computer ordering a $2 dollar key that he can use to break into half the houses in the neighborhood, and it may shock you even more to know that these keys are being sold by the hundreds of thousands nationwide, and all over the internet! You might also find it stunning to learn that, because key-bumping leaves very little evidence of illegal entry, your insurance company just might refuse to pay your burglary claim, or worse yet, accuse you of pulling an inside job on your own house. I’m as amazed as you are, and I’ve seen almost everything you can imagine!

Keeping in mind that these are the signs of the times, and that it’s not too late to take charge of your own life, LET ME TEACH YOU HOW YOU CAN BUTTON UP EVERYTHING YOU CHERISH, WHILE AVOIDING THE HIGH COSTS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH TODAY’S HIGH-SECURITY LOCKING SYSTEMS .

Over the years lock manufacturers have made various efforts to stay ahead of the crime curve when it comes to building effective locking systems, and some worked at it harder than others. And (surprise!) others were content to just leave things as they were, hoping that homeowners would blame their break-in on the thief, and not on the flimsy lock they had purchased for their door. Well, that excuse simply doesn’t cut it anymore, and neither do companies which put big profits ahead of the welfare of the people they’re promising to protect!

Violent crime is way up. Burglary rates are staggering! Parents are demanding that schools provide greater protection for their children during classes. At the same time, their own homes remain at risk, and their businesses are under-protected.

For the longest time, the majority of locks available for residential and commercial security consisted of the usual suspects, such as Schlage, Kwikset, Dexter, Weiser, and the like. Some lock designs were better than others,and to their credit , a few of these companies made periodic efforts to upgrade the security of their locking systems. Unfortunately for them and for us, the consumers, these companies were caught flat- footed upon the arrival of the key bumping threat. The only real solution to the problem was to purchase a high-security locking system such as Medeco, or a few others. While always an excellent choice, the biggest drawback for me in selling these products was the price tag.

Enter the Master Lock Company, with (in my opinion) the most exciting new line of residential and commercial security products to come down the pike in a long, long time. They have recently introduced BumpStop Deadbolts, which prevent both picking and key-bumping. They have introduced the new (and very clever) Nightwatch Deadbolts, which also prevent picking and key-bumping, with the additional feature of locking someone out, EVEN IF THEY HAVE THE KEY ! (More on this later). And Master Lock, with their brand-new line of American Edge products, has now introduced a line of high security cylinders (which resist picking, bumping, drilling, and also provide a line of keys which cannot be copied) .

All of these products are amazingly priced, and are flying off the shelves of my work truck almost as fast as I can reorder them, SO I SUGGEST THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE FELT THAT YOU NEED TO SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPEN UPGRADE YOUR LOCKING SYSTEMS NOW.

You can find tons of information on all of these remarkable products sprinkled all over this website, or you may call me at #954 382-2200 to learn even more.

Be safe and happy, and sleep well, ’cause I know I’m gonna.
Valerie Tannenbaum,
Maverick Locksmith, and President,
A2Z Locksmith, Inc.Weston, FL

Years ago, I was fortunate enough to have met a gentleman I will call Bob. Bob had been locksmithing for years, having grown up around locksmiths and others in the trades . Indeed, his father was a locksmith , his two brothers were locksmiths, and his mother held the key to their hearts. All in all, I imagine it would have been pretty hard to get locked out of their house. As luck would have it, Bob and I became pretty good friends over time, and I’m glad to have known him. He’s gone now, but I have a filing cabinet of memories by which to remember him. And one of those memories is this little gem:

BEWARE OF THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT!

What he was referring to was a technique of lock picking which was developed in the late 20s to early 30s, by which a locksmith (or a thief) might easily manufacture a special key, cut from an ordinary blank, which would easily open as much as 75% of all locks he might come across. This startling thing about this technique IS THAT IT REQUIRES ABSOLUTELY NO LEVEL OF MECHANICAL APTITUDE TO MASTER ! All it really takes is a 15 cent key blank, AND THE WILLINGNESS TO ILLEGALLY ENTER SOMEONE ELSE’S HOME! Can you imagine going inside to investigate a tapping noise on your back door, only to discover an absolute stranger in your kitchen staring back at you?

Now back in the 30s, this technique was called rapping, or tapping (or so I’ve been told). Well, you can call it whatever you like, BUT I CALL IT TROUBLE. For the purposes of this article however, I will refer to it as key bumping, and the the tool we will be discussing will be referred to as a bump key. Before I continue, I feel the need to assure you that it is not my intention to sound the alarm bells on this topic — awareness of the problem is at least half of the solution. Or, as my dear grandma used to say, “A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT”. In any case, it is my responsibility as a professional to raise your awareness of any potential deficiencies in your residential and commercial locking systems, and furthermore, to recommend sensible solutions for you to consider.

I’ll be talking about this in more depth sometime in January– Val

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Back in the 20th century, when I had first considered forming a corporation which would service the security needs of my adopted hometown and surrounding area, I encountered more than a little resistance from the locksmith community. A few of my competitors told me that, being a woman, I might not be up to the physical rigors of the trade (but I was). A few other competitors mentioned that, being a woman, I might find all the technical aspects of the trade too hard to grasp (but I didn’t). Almost all insisted that the locksmith trade was an extremely difficult field to break into (totally true) and that the competition would eat me alive (but it didn’t).

As time went by, and realizing that opinions vary greatly, I decided that the survival of my company and its eventual success would depend upon my developing a mission statement geared toward the TOTAL SATISFACTION OF EVERY SINGLE CLIENT! Please note that I said client, not customer. The reason that I make this distinction is because, in my opinion, a CUSTOMER is one who pays me for a product or service, whereas a CLIENT IS SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN PLACED UNDER MY PROTECTION! This small change in mindset has enabled me to view my chosen profession with the utmost of seriousness and attention to every possible detail.

And so today I feel like giving something back to the South Florida community which  supports my household and gives me purpose (yes, I mean you). Take a little time to snoop around the website– make yourself at home here. If you’re like me, you know it takes a little time to get to know someone, after all…  

    As time goes by, I hope to serve my readership by :

1. Providing answers to their most frequently asked questions regarding both residential and commercial security issues.

2. Illustrating that not all problems require the assistance of a professional.

3. Helping my readers to identify the myriad security issues which make our homes and businesses so attractive to thieves.

4. Doing everything possible to ensure that all my readers not only FEEL SECURE, BUT THAT THEY WILL ALSO BE SECURE!

We all live in a world of increasing risk and legitimate concern and, working together as partners, we’ll minimize these concerns and go forward to live the lives we had hoped to live, once upon a time. You have my word on this, friends.

Let’s get together next month… same time, same place.

Warmly,

Valerie

(Valerie Tannenbaum is the president and CEO of A2Z Locksmith, Inc. . Since moving to Broward County in 1991, she has given private instruction in the proper handling of firearms, she has served in the first group chosen to teach the NRA’s renowned “REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM” courses to women throughout South Florida, and, until 1998, ran the pistol/rifle range available to the public at Markham Park. She is a long time member of the Associated Locksmiths of America, the Safe and Vault Technicians of America, the National Safeman’s Organization, and has served thousands upon thousands of Broward County residents in her capacity as a locksmith and personal safety expert. She can be contacted at:

 #954 382-2200.

 Copyright 2007, Valerie Tannenbaum

Scammer Alert ( PDF)

No matter what you do for a living today, if you want to be first in your field you’ll have to constantly live in the white-hot light of publicity. And whether this leadership comes in the form of a person or a product, imitation and envy will always be at work, and the reward and punishment will always remain the same. The reward for going to great lengths for your clientele is widespread recognition; the punishment is always fierce denial and criticism from one’s competitors.

When a person’s work becomes a standard for the industry, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If my work is simply mediocre, I will be left to starve alongside the road to success — if my work is masterful, the referrals will come pouring in. Think about it for a minute — why in the world would anybody be jealous of someone who does a so-so job? Why should anyone even care what you write or paint or sing or build? Why would anybody bother to try to surpass you, or even to slander you, unless your work were stamped with the seal of superiority?

Long after great work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it could not have been done, that there must have been some trick involved. I wonder how many sail boat captains were angry with Robert Fulton for inventing the steamboat? And I wonder how many buggy whip manufacturers were angry with Henry Ford for streamlining the automobile assembly process?

The fact of the matter is this: the leader is attacked because he’s leading — and all the efforts to discredit him are just further proof of that leadership. When they fail to either equal or to excel, followers then seek to either depreciate or to destroy those ahead of them.

There is nothing new in this. It’s the story of the world, the story of human passions. Whether you’re driven by envy, or fear, or greed, or ambition, none of it will get you anywhere! If a leader truly leads, he will remain – the leader! Because anyone or anything which is great makes itself known, no matter how loudly the opposition complains, because that which deserves to live–lives!

( adapted from an advertisement for Cadillac automobiles, circa 1915)

Valerie Tannenbaum

Maverick Locksmith, and President

A2Z Locksmith, Inc.

“Because sometimes the best man for the job is a woman.”