Elderly victims targeted in organized distraction thefts: Toronto police [Video]

Two men and three women are facing charges in connection with an ongoing investigation into distraction thefts targeting elderly victims, Toronto police say.

Police said between Dec. 10, 2023 and Oct. 19, 2024, suspects attended “several banks and retail stores” for the purpose of carrying out distraction thefts.

Police allege that the suspects specifically targeted elderly victims using “various techniques” to obtain PINs, and steal wallets and bank cards.

“The suspects would then attend various banks, withdrawing funds from the victims’ accounts to fraudulently purchase pre-paid credit cards, that were then used to buy high-end luxury items and electronics,” police said in a news release.

Investigators subsequently executed a search warrant in connection with the investigation and seized a number of items, including eight iPhone 15 Pro Max devices, 50 smart watches, 56 bottles of designer perfume, 21 fraudulent pre-paid Vanilla credit cards totalling $10,500, $23,000 in Canadian currency, lock-picking tools, 32 OLG Pro-Line tickets, two …