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Key Cloning A New Safety Concern

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – In the world of 3D printers and smart phones, crooks could start cloning your keys.

There are several new websites and apps that allow keys to be copied by simply submitting a photo.

"This is a very big concern," said Carmen Caldwell, founder of Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County. "Just imagine if you take your car to a valet and you leave your house key in there attached to it?"

Caldwell is concerned anyone with the wrong intentions could take photos of keys and have new ones sent anywhere they want without a challenge.

Click here to watch Brian Andrews' report. 

"Now you have someone walk up to a house with keys, and if a neighbor or somebody's watching they're going to think they got keys and must be a relative," she said. "Who's going to call the police?"

Lance Ulanoff, a tech expert at Mashable, said it could be hard for criminals to resist using this technology. He said the thieves can make keys for everything – from your locker to your safe.

"Once they have it, they're kind of in business," he said.

Al Rahimi, the founder of KeysDuplicated.com, tells us his site won't accept photos that look like anyone could have taken them from a distance.

"We ask for both sides of the key in part to make sure the person taking the picture has enough physical access to the key to turn it over," he said.

Alan Schissel, president of Integrated Security Services in New York, said the only way to protect yourself is protect your keys at all times.

"Don't keep them with other identification, which can tie up the connection between that key and a particular address."

Caldwell said she plans to warn the hundreds of members of Citizens' Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County about this at her upcoming meetings and in her newsletters.

"People better start paying attention and keep those keys really close," she said.

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