Police in the greater Toronto area saw report after report arrive telling a similar story. Jewelry, coins, antiques, and other valuables were going missing from open houses. It didn’t take long for the tally to reach $100,000, when the police found they were dealing with a string of related robberies from a couple dubbed the “open house bandits.”

More than 500 stolen items were stolen from at least twenty different homes. About ten percent of the ultimate $500,000 in stolen property was recovered when police tracked down Peter Mason King and Nora Ann Thomson.

The duo is not new to crime, or even open house thefts. They have been accused of similar acts all over the Northeast in areas including Maine, New York, and Connecticut.

Your real estate agent is your first line of defense keeping your valuables safe during an open house, but they cannot be everywhere at once. As an owner hosting an open house, it is important to lock up and hide any valuables. It may be worth it to remove valuables from the home completely while people you do not know are wandering your halls unescorted.

If you want to know more about keeping your possessions safe from open house bandits at your own open house, check out our 5 Crime Prevention Tips to Avoid Getting Robbed During an Open House.

Read more about the Open House Bandits at The Dallas Star.