If you have zippered lugggage as most of us do, and you are locking your TSA locks though your zipper pulls, then may be only a mild deterrent to a talented thief. He can stick a pen into the teeth of your suitcase and then open up all the zipper. Do his thing, and then, grab your zippers, pull them back over the zzzip part of the zipper with nary a sign of entry. However, if you have the kind of suitcase that has a zipper and the suitcase lock is built in with your zip tabs slipping into that lock, then the bad buy may be able to open it a little bit, but not be able to rezip it. More of a deterrent.