The Dallas Morning News had a good article on “bump keys” in yesterday’s edition. I first wrote about this problem in this blog in January. The heart of the problem is that a burglar can buy house keys that have been cut down so that they enter the locks without moving any of the lock’s pins. The burglar then “bumps” the key with a hammer, and the resulting force bounces the pins briefly into the unlocked position. If the burglar is quick enough, he can then open the door just like he had your own house key.
There are door locks that are immune to bump keys, and it’s recommended that every homeowner buy these locks. For details, please read the Dallas Morning News article and the blog post.