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Dangerous Trend Targeting Homes

By Diane Ako

HONOLULU (KHNL) - Maybe you've gotten an e-mail about a dangerous trend that targets your home.

It's "lock bumping". Have you heard of it? It's a new way to break the lock on a door to get inside. Videos like this have been making their way around the internet, showing how quick and easy it is to bump a lock.

It's so fast, they had to slow it down for you to see. It's enough to scare you.

"Because of recent articles people are coming in starting to ask for bump proof locks," locksmith Don Wakeman.

Although only certain kinds of locks can be bumped,

Locksmiths at Aloha Key estimate half the homes in Hawaii have bumpable locks.

"50-60%. Because remember a lot of homes have older keys and older technology. And that lends itself to making it more easily bumpable," said Wakeman.

So how do you know if your lock is vulnerable to being bumped? You won't unless you bring it to a locksmith.

Before you start to worry, locksmiths insist it's not as easy as the videos make it look.

"It requires certain knowledge. Knowledge of locks. Certain skills," Wakeman said.

New technology is fighting this crime, too.

 "This is brand new technology by master lock that we've received and these locks cannot be bumped or picked."

But remember-

"If people really want to get in, like any thief, they'll break windows, knock down doors," said Wakeman.

Because where there's a will, there is a way.

Wakeman says while "lock bumping" can be easy for a skilled criminal, he thinks there's only a small, small chance a home break in will be due to a bumped lock.