Toronto police are encouraging the public to take precautions after men who said they were water heater inspectors allegedly stole cash from a home.
According to police, a Scarborough senior received a call on Sunday from a man saying she needed her water heater inspected or she would be fined $1,000 by the provincial government.
The next day, two men came by to perform the inspection. The men checked the water heater, replaced a furnace filter and then one went upstairs to the attic and the second floor, police said in a news release on Thursday.
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Police say the men offered to return the following day to put more insulation in the attic.
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After the men left, however, the residents discovered that the money kept in the house had been stolen. Police did not specify how much cash was taken.
Acting Inspector Jim Gotell said the two victims were in their late 80s and early 90s.
“I can’t imagine it is an isolated incident, and I am sure there are other seniors out there who have been victimized too,” he said in an email.
Police say people should exercise caution when dealing with those soliciting business by phone or door to door, and take steps to verify the identity of the person and business involved before inviting them into your home.
Investigators are asking anyone with information in the case to call them at 416-808-4200 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.
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