A California man, allegedly working for a group believed to be connected to locksmith scams across the country, was cited by Carson City code enforcement Friday during a sting operation in East Carson City.
Yizhaq Kenan, 27, who said he'd just moved to Reno from Sacramento, was cited by Carson City Code Enforcement Officer Kevin McCoy for misdemeanor operating without a business license, advertising without a business license and operating without a sheriff's card and fingerprints on record.
Lisa Moos, a friend of Carson City Locksmith owner John Heyer, agreed to call an Internet posting found on Google and request a locksmith come to her Dori Way home. Heyer had discovered at least eight bogus locksmith listings that looked similar to a scam that had been sweeping the country since 2006.
According to the Associated Locksmiths of America, in the scam consumers are lured by telephone directory and Internet ads that give the impression the locksmiths are a local business. These fraudulent companies manipulate listings with false addresses and phone numbers to make them seem like a neighborhood business. When the locksmith arrives, he charges much more than the quote and people find excessive charges on their debit and credit cards.
"I did this because my mom got scammed by people like this on the Internet. They could never find the guys who scammed her," said Moos.
She said her mother fell victim to an e-mail lottery scam and lost her savings.
"She didn't live her life and work her (rear) off for nothing," Moos said.
Kenan arrived about 11:30 a.m. with a magnetic sign on his vehicle that read 24/7 Emergency Lockout Service.
The Internet posting lists the address for 24/7 Emergency Lockout as 296 Deer Court in Incline Village, but that address is actually the Carpenters Local Union 2035.
Once Kenan was inside the home, McCoy and code enforcement officer Tony Baker and Deputy Richard Pope arrived and brought him outside.
When asked for a business license, Kenan gave McCoy a certificate allegedly from the University of Phoenix for an online locksmith course and another certificate that stated he was a member of an unfamiliar locksmith association, said McCoy.
When asked for proof that he paid sales tax to the state, Kenan said he had nothing to show.
"This is my first job here," said Kenan. "I did not know what I needed."
McCoy ordered Kenan to cease operating in Carson City.
He said each of the offenses carried a $347 fine and told Kenan to appear in court on May 12.
"Why do I need to risk my life for this," Kenan said after he received his citation and was preparing to leave. "To tell you the truth, I never did anything wrong in my life."