Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Consumer scams

Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (19:23): (1470) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Consumer Affairs. The action I seek is for the minister to meet with me and the president of the Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia to hear the association’s concerns regarding scams being undertaken by fake locksmiths and to assist the association to develop a strategy to protect Victorians from these scams. The prevalence of fake locksmith scams is increasing and costing many Victorians dearly, both financially and also emotionally. The peak body representing Australia’s locksmith industry, the master locksmiths association, has issued a warning about this major scam being perpetrated in Victoria by overseas criminals posing as locksmiths. The fake locksmiths target people who have locked themselves out of their home or car. They quote small fees, usually less than $100, and when they turn up they charge the victim hundreds of dollars and in some cases up to thousands of dollars. In many cases the scammers will damage the door in question, and the victim will be forced to pay a legitimate locksmith to repair it, costing them even more money.

There has been a huge surge in complaints to the master locksmiths association regarding this scam, which is being perpetrated by overseas criminals posing as locksmiths, and it is costing unsuspecting customers millions of dollars every year. The scammers often use standover tactics and threaten and intimidate customers, who are often females or vulnerable people living alone. The fact that these overseas-based criminals are paying more than $150,000 per month for their website to appear at the top of searches gives a good indication of how much money they are making. Given this criminal behaviour is impacting countless Victorians, including my constituents in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, it is incumbent on the Victorian government to step up and protect vulnerable Victorians. All Victorians know crime is running rampant through the state, especially in the South-Eastern Metropolitan Region, so the government must do all it can to protect Victorians. The locksmith profession is one that is built on having a good reputation, of having good character, and so to have people targeting Victorians with fake locksmiths is really concerning.

In my electorate alone – I have talked about this before – it is important to reiterate again how crime is increasing at a terrifying rate. In Carrum Downs crime against the person increased by 20 per cent in 12 months, in Cranbourne burglaries increased 700 per cent in 12 months, in Frankston South burglaries increased 82 per cent in 12 months, in Mordialloc theft from a motor vehicle increased by 48 per cent in 12 months and in Narre Warren South burglaries increased by 77 per cent in 12 months. I look forward to receiving a response from the minister advising me that he will meet with me and the master locksmiths association – (Time expired)