Durham Regional Police have issued an arrest warrant for a 40-year-old man from Clarington, accusing him of befriending an older male and defrauding him out of $33,000 for landscaping and repair work.
The investigation began in May, after the suspect allegedly befriended a 78-year-old victim over a period of about a month and agreed to provide services on the victim's property. Despite being paid, the suspect allegedly did not complete any work.
Police believe the suspect specifically targets vulnerable and older individuals through various fraudulent schemes. As a result, they have released a photo of the suspect, who is also wanted by five other police services across Ontario for other fraud-related charges.
At the time of the incident, the accused was under conditions not to seek or accept payment for any work until it was completed. The suspect, Christopher Alexander Graham, is wanted for charges including fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and breach of a prohibition order.
Police are concerned that there may be other victims and are urging anyone with information to come forward. Anyone with information can contact the East Division criminal investigations branch at 1-888-579-1520, Ext. 1605, or send anonymous information to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
In a separate incident, a 70-year-old woman suffered serious injuries in a two-vehicle collision in Scarborough's east end. Toronto Police responded to the scene, where one of the vehicles had driven into a building, and found the female driver with serious injuries.
The woman was taken to a hospital, while the other driver was uninjured. A woman in her 40s also suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident.
