HackerTube.dev

Locksmith ripoffs: Hidden camera investigation (Marketplace)

CBC News · 21.5M views · 2020-01-11 · 20:47

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

CBC Marketplace investigates locksmith scams in the Greater Toronto Area. It exposes networks of fake Google Maps listings and fake reviews, and uses hidden cameras to show how low quotes turn into overcharges.

On Hacker News

Cited as a concrete demonstration of how fake local business listings on Google Maps are used for scams.

Recommended by 1 HN people across 1 months · HN mentions 2021–2024

Topics

Law, policing & justiceMedia, journalism & propagandaPrivacy, surveillance & cybercrime
Search by tags
google mapslocksmith scamsfake reviewshidden cameraconsumer fraud

What people said

gravypod · 2021-08 · Recommendation

This video has a demo of what is happening: [VIDEO] Essentially if you make a bunch of fake listings all around the State you work in people who are desperate will search for "X near me" and if you have the most dots it will resolve to you. This means more panicked buyers which directly translates to way more money.

Read the original HN comment ↗
richbell · 2024-01 · Reference

It's rampant. Locksmiths, appliance repairs, flowers, you name it. Unfortunately, I have not had similar luck in reporting obviously fake businesses. [VIDEO]

Read the original HN comment ↗
acatton · 2023-02 · Reference

CBC's Marketplace did an investigation about this years ago. [VIDEO] TL;DW: this is widespread in most cities in Canada. Scammers just setup fake businesses on google to have your nearest locksmith be some generic chain. I would expect this to be the same for the US.

Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by CBC News, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks
  • SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
  • Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources