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Toronto police have made an arrest in an investigation into roof fraud.
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On Friday, police became aware of a suspected scam in the Eglinton Ave. and Bayview Ave. called.
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Police say that on Tuesday, April 25, three men were found in the area of Coxwell Ave. and Danforth Ave. stopped and approached a homeowner who claimed to be roofers working on a neighboring home.
They informed the homeowner that they had seen damage on the homeowner’s roof and offered to inspect the damage.
The homeowner agreed and one of the men went to the roof to do an inspection.
The homeowner received an offer for $18,500 and provided the three men with $9,000 bail.
The men promised to start work the next day.
The next day, an unsuspecting crew of subcontractors arrived and began work on the roof, and the man who made the bid came back asking for $3,000 to buy supplies.
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When the homeowner returned from the bank, the man was gone.
On the phone, the man asked the homeowner to pay the crew, which made the homeowner suspicious, and they called the police.
Police also say three men gathered in the area of Eglinton Ave. and Bayview Ave. stayed.
Witnesses with knowledge of the roof scam saw the men in the area and called the police.
Police arrived and found two men on a property and an unsuspecting subcontractor.
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There was also a man matching the description of the previous incident who fled when he saw the police.
He was caught and arrested.
In both cases, the men said they work for a company called “CO Roofing & Masonry” and gave the phone number 647-767-0300.
No funds were paid to the unsuspecting subcontractors
Stewart Millet, 18, of no fixed address, was charged with more than $5,000 in fraud and more than $5,000 in mischief and criminal damage.
The investigation is ongoing and police believe there may be other victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5300 or call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
torontosun.com
https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/arrest-made-in-roofing-scam
