Las Vegas has a locksmith fraud problem that is well-documented — the Better Business Bureau, the Nevada State Contractors Board, and local news have all covered it. The operation is almost always the same: a number of fake or out-of-state companies purchase Google Ads for search terms like "locksmith near me" or "emergency locksmith Las Vegas" with prices like "$19 service call" or "$25 unlock." The price is a lure.
When a tech arrives — sometimes untrained, sometimes unlicensed, often a day laborer dispatched by a phone room — the story changes at the door. They announce the lock is "very difficult" or "requires drilling." The $19 call becomes a $150 drilling fee, a $90 parts charge, and a $40 after-hours surcharge, totaling $280 to $400. You are standing outside your car in a parking garage, or your apartment building at midnight, and you have no leverage. You pay.
How to screen a locksmith before they arrive
Step one: ask for the Nevada locksmith license number on the phone. Every person performing locksmith work in Nevada is required to hold an individual or company license issued by the Nevada State Contractors Board under NRS Chapter 648. Ask for the license number. A legitimate operation gives it immediately — you can look it up at nvcontractorsboard.com before the tech arrives. A scam outfit hedges, deflects, or gives a number that does not match.
Step two: ask for the complete price on the phone. Not a "starting at" range — the total for your specific situation. If they will not give you a specific number, or if they say "we can't quote until we see it," hang up and call someone who will. A professional locksmith can quote a standard car lockout, residential lockout, or rekey over the phone.
Step three: when the tech arrives, ask to see their license card and a company-issued ID. Legitimate techs carry both and hand them over without being asked. The name on the license card should match the person standing in front of you.
What about drilling?
Most residential and automotive lockouts do not require drilling. A trained locksmith with proper tools can open the large majority of standard residential deadbolts and knob sets non-destructively using pick tools, bypass tools, or impressioning. For automotive, virtually every common passenger vehicle can be opened without damage using the right long-reach tools and air bladders — techniques every professional learns in basic training.
Drilling destroys the cylinder. It is appropriate in very specific circumstances: a lock that is seized, damaged, or in rare high-security applications that are genuinely pick-resistant. The appropriate sequence is: attempt non-destructive first, explain why it will not work if that is the case, then drill with the customer's informed agreement. If a tech reaches for a drill before attempting any other method, stop them and ask why.
The Nevada Contractors Board takes complaints at 702-486-1100. The FTC's locksmith scam guidance is at consumer.ftc.gov. File the complaint — it helps the next person.