Key apps, convenience worth the risk?

Key copying — one more thing added to the list of chores your smartphone can do. You just snap a picture of the key, the app scans it and in a few days the new key arrives in the mail.

“With these apps people don’t pay attention to it, I feel like that’s something they’re not going to realize is a risk that’s there,” explains Jon Jeffries, president of Certified Locksmiths in Archdale and a former police officer.

He says the app makes stealing a copy of a key all too easy.

“If you go to a mechanic, you go to any place where someone can have your keys, they’ve got to have it for about a minute they can scan it and get a copy of your key,” Jeffries said.

It could also get keys into the wrong hands.

“For women it’s real scary if you have a stalker situation then that person could get a key and you’d never know it.”

Jeffries said there are many ways to avoid a copy of your key being stolen.

“If you invest in a quality lock you can avoid that situation because there are keys here that can’t be copied with that app,” he says.

The app also allows you to pick up your copied key. Jeffries says a responsible locksmith should ask for ID before handing out a copy.

“You always want to have something where you can put your head down at night and feel secure,” he said.