Locksmith group banned by judge

A network of locksmiths accused of using "bait-and-switch" tactics on customers throughout the state has been banned from doing business in North Carolina by a Wake County Superior Court judge.

The businesses, which operated under a myriad of names, were accused of defrauding unsuspecting customers by quoting them one rate by phone and then charging them a much higher rate when the person showed up to perform the work. The companies also used locksmiths who were not licensed by the state and often demanded payment in cash, refusing to let customers pay by credit card.

The Superior Court responded to a request from N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper by issuing an injunction Tuesday barring the companies and their owners from offering or performing locksmith services in North Carolina.

The defendants listed in the lawsuit are:

704 Locksmith of Charlotte, doing business in the Triangle as Raleigh Locksmith, Durham Locksmith, Apex Locksmith and Smithfield Locksmith;

NC Charlotte Locksmith, doing business in central and Western North Carolina as Charlotte Locksmith, Concord Locksmith, Hickory Locksmith and Shelby Locksmith;

Anna Konevsky of Charlotte, president of 704 Locksmith and NC Charlotte Locksmith;

Locksmith Services of Charlotte, operating as Cary Locksmith and Atlantis Locksmith;

Tamir Avraham of Charlotte, president of Locksmith Services.

Under the judgment the defendents were ordered to pay a total of $1,245,000 in civil penalties. Under state law, any penalties collected will go to support public schools.

Staff writer Sue Stock