App for homeowners could put house keys in wrong hands

For many people, a home is a safe haven. And most of those homes are equipped with locks and deadbolts to offer an extra sense of security. But Channel 11's Amy Marcinkiewicz found that technology is offering a way to get round them.

A new app on the market is called "KeyMe". With just a few prompts, a user can order a duplicate of a home, office, or even car key within seconds. Scanning the newsroom, it was easy to find a producer distracted with keys in her drawer that were easily accessible.

The app walks the user through what needs to be done to make a copy of the key. First, you have to take the key off any key chain, put it on a white piece of paper, and take pictures of both sides that are sharp and clear. In just a few days, the keys arrive in the mail. In this case, they worked perfectly and let Amy into the producer's home.

KeyMe CEO Greg Marsh said he's selling convenience, but it's not really at the cost of your security.

"We've made millions of keys, and we've never had an issue over crime," said Marsh.

At Allegheny Safe and Lock in Cranberry Township, they've been making keys since 1979. The owner, and locksmith Tony Demino had reservations when he first learned about the KeyMe app.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to put that kind of personal information out on the Internet," said Demino. "I would be concerned about it if you're giving information out -- your personal information, putting it out there for anybody that has access to that."

KeyMe assures users that it has layers of security that locksmiths don't. For example, the app won't make a duplicate key without a name, an address, and a credit card.

"For every key that we make, we have a level of accountability that hasn't been possible, including a transaction paper trail, and biometrics makes us massively more secure," said Marsh.

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