Hi wombrat

There's no way to bypass the SKREEM. Your mechanic friend was way off the mark, the ECU will not start or run the engine without a matched up SKREEM. I'm afraid that the easiest and most cost effective solution for you is to buy a new key. It is possible to read the key codes from the existing SKREEM module and make chips for new keys, but you'd need some specialist equipment to do it (and it would cost more than a new key) Keys are approx $660 from Needswings. It's worth spending the money. The alternatives are way too much effort.