SARNIA – Sarnia police and Canadian border investigators were still trying on Thursday to identify two unknown men arrested earlier this week amid a probe into allegations a homeowner was asked to pay for eavestrough work that wasn’t done.
Sarnia police previously said the men produced identification from another country after a homeowner on Franklin Avenue in Sarnia called them about an attempted fraud. Ron Hansen, a Sarnia police deputy chief, said Thursday the pair arrested had U.K. passports on them.
“We had some initial questions about the validity of the documents. We’re still working with the CBSA to see if they’re in fact legitimate documents,” he said of the Canada Border Services Agency. “We don’t know yet.”
Hansen said he wasn’t sure what raised a red flag for investigators that the passports weren’t real, but the duo has been in custody since their arrest on Monday in north Sarnia.
“They won’t be released until such time as we can 100 per cent verify their identity,” he said, adding border officials could also put a hold on them or force them out of the country.
Hansen added they’re working with border officials to find out when and how the two men, who have accents, first arrived in Canada. They were driving a vehicle on Monday they acquired in the Hamilton area, he said, adding police are investigating other possible fraud allegations.
Earlier this week, police said two people hired by a homeowner were told an eavestrough-cleaning job was done and further repairs were needed – but investigators say the homeowner realized no work had been done and they called police. Two people were arrested a short distance from the scene, police said.
Hansen said eavestroughs cleaning and repairs, driveway resealing and chimney repairs are common scams throughout the region. He cautioned the public about people coming door-to-door with any services they didn’t ask for.
“If it’s unsolicited, maybe think twice about it,” he said. “Or get other advice or other quotes.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Sarnia police Det.-Const. Erik Ostenfeldt at (519)344-8861 x 6254.