Home Depot shoppers warned — if you purchased this popular item, your security could be at risk, expert claims

New York Post

2 days ago

A home inspector's viral warning has homeowners rattling their doorknobs — and their nerves.
TikTokker and self-proclaimed safety sleuth Scott Lubik (@scottlubik) claimed that if you bought your door locks from Home Depot or Lowe's, 'your keys to your place will open your neighbor's door.'
Say what now?
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In the trending video, which has racked up over 59,000 views, Lubik dropped what he called a 'well-kept secret.'
'There are only five different locking configurations, meaning that every fifth set that they sell has the same exact key,' Lubik alleged.
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'This is a well-kept secret, but I'm a home inspector and a realtor, so I know this just from buying and flipping houses.'
So, if your block went on a Home Depot run the day you moved in, there's a chance your key might be the neighborhood skeleton?
Lubik added, 'My key set would probably get me into your house, or anybody's house that went to Lowe's or Home Depot.'
The clip sparked panic — and eye rolls.
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'Welp, thanks for telling everyone. I feel much safer now,' one TikTok commenter snarked.
3 If your whole block hit Home Depot on move-in day, a TikTokker says your key might be the neighborhood skeleton key.
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'Five keys per brand is absolutely crazy,' another said.
'It may get you in but it will be the last door you open,' a third warned.
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Turns out, lock brands like Kwikset and Schlage — which dominate the big box shelves — offer way more than just five options. Try tens of thousands.
3 The clip about Lowe's and Home Depot keys set off a firestorm of freak-outs — and facepalms.
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The Kwikset Keyway (KW1) has more than 10,000 key combinations and the Schlage keyway (SC1) has 72,000, according to Marketplace.
So the odds of your neighbor having a matching key? Slimmer than a paperclip.
'If you really want to unlock a random home, you're better off learning how to use a pick set,' Erik Glassen, senior brand marketing manager for Kwikset, told the site.
Experts say burglars aren't usually finessing keyways anyway — they're smashing windows or kicking down doors.
As one commenter put it: 'Locks only keep an honest man out.'
Still paranoid?
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Wirecutter recommends the Schlage B60N deadbolt — just $30 and built to stand up to both stealth and brute-force break-ins.
And while your key probably won't open the neighbor's place — someone else might still open yours.
Just ask New York City influencer Kate Bartlett, who shared her own terrifying experience in a viral video, warning followers to always lock — and deadbolt — their doors.
@katebartlett
stay safe and lock and bolt your doors always 🤍🤍🤍 ♬ original sound – kate bartlett
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'Two years ago, a random man broke into my New York City apartment in the middle of the night while I was there,' said Bartlett, 25, who lived alone in a luxury high-rise downtown with 24-hour doormen and an electronic keycard system.
'So the doors to all of the apartments in the building were a key card system… but they also had a deadbolt for an extra layer of protection,' she said.
As The Post previously reported, Bartlett admitted she sometimes skipped the deadbolt because her then-boyfriend had a keycard — a decision she later regretted.
'One very, very random weeknight… I was kind of halfway asleep,' she recalled, when she heard the door open and assumed it was her boyfriend. But minutes later, a strange man was fumbling with her lights.
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'Eventually, I'm just like, 'Hello, hello?'… and I hear a man's voice say, 'No, this is housekeeping,'' she recounted.
3 NYC influencer Kate Bartlett had a nightmare break-in and a message: deadbolt it, always.
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Her 'heart sunk,' she said, before grabbing a tripod for protection. The intruder bolted — and building staff initially didn't believe her.
'The same thing happens to another girl in the same building,' she said. 'Everybody finally believes me now.'
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Although police eventually caught the man, they couldn't arrest him immediately — because the building lacked 'No trespassing' signs.
'Months later, finally they were able to arrest him or do something,' Bartlett added. 'I moved out.'
Her takeaway? 'Lock your doors, even in a luxury building.'