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Toronto police are asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating four men wanted in connection with a roofing fraud and mischief investigation in the Rosedale area.
In a news release Tuesday, the Toronto Police Service said a suspect attended a home in the area of Mount Pleasant Road and Elm Avenue between Aug. 10 and Aug. 17. He told the owner they were a “fraud investigator” for roofing scams in the neighbourhood.
The suspect then told the homeowner repairs were going to be “free” and they would be reimbursed for being a victim of the scam, according to police.
CBC Toronto reached out to police to clarify whether the homeowners had recently done work to their roof.
Toronto police say the suspect then went back to the home accompanied by another suspect, and told the homeowner repairs were not free, but once they were paid, a reimbursement would be issued.
The homeowner declined the offer, Toronto police said in Tuesday’s release.
The original suspect and three others then attended the same home without the owner’s knowledge and damaged the roof and fence of the property between Aug. 20 and Aug. 24, according to police.
Toronto police are searching for the following:
A man with a large build, clean shaven, wearing a grey baseball cap with a light-coloured brim, a white polo t-shirt, dark blue shorts and grey shoes.A man with a medium build, clean shaven, medium-length black hair, wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, black pants and black shoes with white soles.A man of medium build with a brown short side beard and wearing a blue baseball cap with an unknown logo, a blue-and-white plaid long-sleeved shirt and blue shorts.A man with a slim build, clean shaven, wearing a grey baseball cap, sunglasses, a dark blue polo t-shirt and light blue shorts.
Toronto police are reminding the public to be wary of unsolicited contractors going door-to-door, especially those using pressure tactics or demanding advance payment. The force is also telling residents to avoid impulse decisions to hire a contractor and to select a reputable company with a detailed written contract.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Toronto police said in Tuesday’s release.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.