'I was threatened with rape after locksmith scam'

"The man was fixing the front door for around half an hour and then stated he was finished. He wrote an invoice and stated that I would be charged 1,293. When she told the locksmith she had not agreed to that price and could not afford to pay, she says he became threatening."

"I was very frightened and intimidated so decided to give the man 600, which I paid for with my debit card. He then stated that if he did not get the remainder of the money by tomorrow morning he would attend the property."

"The very next day I received a text from the locksmith. It was very sexual and threatening. The BBC has seen the text sent to Grace and can confirm it was sexually threatening."

Adabela Grace was locked out of her home in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, and contacted a locksmith quoted at £49. Upon arrival, the locksmith claimed she had a high-security door and escalated costs to £189, then £280 for lock changes, ultimately charging £1,293. When Grace refused to pay the inflated amount, the locksmith became threatening on her doorstep, demanding payment by the next morning or threatening to return. The following day, Grace received a sexually threatening text message from the locksmith. She reported the incident to police, her estate agent, and bank. This case emerged following a BBC London investigation exposing similar locksmith scams, prompting additional victims to report threatening behavior from rogue locksmiths.

Read at www.bbc.com