Burglars may try a number of methods to try and gain access to your home, including picking your lock. The most obvious signs your lock has been tampered with are visible dents and scuff marks around the key hole.
As far as if a lock has been picked, they might be able to tell by marks made on the pins or cylinder from turning and trying to force the pins up, but that would take a lab most likely and wouldn't be something they could just tell.
Most common locks you will come across today can be easily relocked after they are opened without a key. In some instances, locks will automatically reset once closed, while others may need to be picked once more to re-engage the locking mechanism.
Look for locks that have a contoured shape for the internal pins or a side bar to help thwart any traditional lock-picking attempts on your home. You can also switch to one of the less common locks on the market, such as that of a dimple lock, tubular lock or rotating disc.
Lock bumping is a very easy technique to learn and perform, requiring virtually no special skills. About 90% of households in America have entry doors equipped with a lock that can be bumped. It's a non-destructive lock-picking method, meaning that there's likely to be no sign of forced entry.
Bump keys are keys cut to a special design that will allow them to be used for picking pin-tumbler locks. Pin-tumbler locks are the world's most popular lock, and these include exterior door entry locks for homes. The process of gaining entry using a bump key is called “bumping,” and it can be very effective.
Bump-proof locks are just more resistant to picking and bumping. Their resistance comes from an extra set of tumblers, which gives the key two jobs to do. It creates a more complicated locking mechanism, making the lock more resistant to these attacks.
Yes, you can, providing that your door has been furnished with a frictioned cylinder lock or one that has an emergency function. These two types are designed to be unlocked with a key even if there's another key inside on the other side of the door. Their mechanisms are created for this exact purpose.
Yes, a bobby pin should work. Insert the pin into the small hole on the doorknob until you reach the internal locking mechanism, then turn it to unlock the door. A tiny flathead screwdriver will also work well for this purpose.
Lock bumping takes only an instant to open the lock. The lock is not visibly damaged, although the force of the bump can leave an indentation on the front of the cylinder. Certain clicking and vibrating tools designed for bumping can also be used.
What about ALL burglaries— forced and non-forced? Let's do some simple math to find out! That's only 1.36% of TOTAL burglaries that utilize either picking a lock or shimming. Note that I'm not using these numbers to say that malicious lock picking isn't a problem.
Tools that are 7 inches or less in length are allowed in carry-on bags. Please check with local law enforcement regarding traveling with this item. Any sharp objects in checked bags should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors.
If you suddenly find it hard to get your key in the lock, it's likely that there's something inside causing a blockage, such as dirt or dust. Check that you're using the right key and that it's not bent or dull. Also, consider that the lock itself may be dry, causing the pins to get stuck.
Instead of hunting around looking for keys, keys inside locks will provide a readily available solution to simply unlock the door and evacuate the premises. While this may be a good strategy to be used in emergencies, it also encourages burglars to easily break-in.
Safe Practice
Don't leave keys on the inside of door locks or window ledges near the door as burglars can break a window and reach inside and unlock the door.
"Don't leave keys in doors, but keep them somewhere local to it. If people leave keys in windows locks or doors [a burglar] could get to them easily," he said.
Products with Kwikset SmartKey feature BumpGuard™ which uses a patented slide-locking bar mechanism inside of the lock to prevent lock bumping and other advanced home break-in techniques.
ANSI Grade 1- This is a heavy-duty commercial security lock. It is specifically designed for high traffic and superior security. As the strongest grade, it can be used for residential applications too, but it is predominantly found in commercial and industrial applications.
Bump keys are specially cut keys that can bypass the security mechanisms built into traditional pin and tumbler locks. Bump keys are also referred to as “999 keys” because all of their ridges are cut to the maximum depth (999) in a key-making machine.
An auto jiggler is a special lock pick that you use to open a car door lock. They are usually made of tempered stainless steel. Like the typical jiggler key you use for other purposes, they have specific cuts, patterns, and sufficient spaces that mimic the usual pin tumblers.
They look like this, without teeth at all: A bump key is made by using a triangular file (they're at every hardware store… very cheap) on the blank key. Point the file down to shave the extreme "valleys" that you see in a bump key, with ample force.