Cheap 'Bump Keys' Ease Break-Ins

A special key now widely available online can make it simple to break into homes, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The $3 “bump key”—a longtime tool of locksmiths—can open most locks with the aid of a bump from a hammer. “A motivated individual with some time and very little skill can learn to 'bump' open most conventional locks with relative ease,” says a locksmith’s website.

Other locksmiths are skeptical of the threat. “Bad people are going to get in whether they're bumping a lock or breaking a window,” he says. And a policeman notes that “you rarely see guys breaking in through the front door.” Still, crime-prevention experts recommend a pair of multi-layered, bump-resistant locks, as well as deadbolts that extend at least an inch. (More break-in stories.)