Media Release for Tuesday November 17, 2020

Calls for Service

(Nov. 16 at 8 a.m. to Nov. 17 at 8 a.m.)  72

Break and Enter

The Peterborough Police are investigating a break and enter to a business in the West End of the City early Monday morning.

At approximately 4:40 a.m. on November 17, 2020 the suspect broke the front door glass of a business on Parkhill Road West and stole an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect is described as wearing:

• Grey coat
• Black toque with unknown logo on front 
• Facemask  
• Grey gloves with black fingers
• Blue or grey duffel bag with yellow reflectors on it 
• Shoes with white lower trim 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Peterborough Police Service at (705) 876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at www.stopcrimehere.ca or 1-(800)-222-TIPS (8477).

Rental Scam

The Peterborough Police Service is warning the public about the Rental Scam resurfacing in the Peterborough area. 

Police have received numerous reports as of late about homes in the area that are on different websites for rent, however upon further investigation, it is revealed that the actual addresses are not for rent.

The scammers take a photo of a property from an MLS listing and then put online as a rental.  With the current rental market, victims will put down extra payment in advance just to secure the property.

These are a few Rental Scam warnings to look out for:

• The “landlord” doesn’t want to meet you in person
• The “landlord” wants you to move in immediately, without ever physically viewing the Rental property (may seem reasonable with COVID-19 – be careful!)
• The “landlord” asks for rent or a security deposit before signing a lease
• The Price is “too good”
• The listing has several spelling errors, poor grammar or excessive punctuation.

The Peterborough Police Service reminds citizens of the rule of thumb - “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”  Police also want to remind the public to be careful about how much personal information you pass onto a stranger online.

Always schedule a viewing of the property and meet the landlord in person prior to signing any lease or paying any upfront fees.

For more information on this scam and other scam, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/