TORONTO, Ont. – Police are hunting for suspects in a distraction theft ring which is targeting hundreds of seniors – most of which are elderly Italian women – throughout the GTA.

The thieves target pedestrians by striking up a conversation.

“Conversations range from asking where the doctor’s office is, where a pharmacy is,” Toronto Police told CityNews Channel. “They can request to buy their jewellery, help at a funeral, or help fund a trip to the U.S.”

“The suspect then reaches out to the victim and begins to hug them, while doing so removes the necklace and or earrings from the victims and replaces it with a false set of earrings and necklaces,” the officer added.

The prime suspect in the ring is described as an Eastern European woman between the ages of 30 and 40.

In most cases, she flees the scene in a car driven by someone else. Sometimes, there is a child, about two to four years old, in a child seat in the backseat of the car.