A Hamilton woman was arrested Thursday in a bizarre scam that included a fake pregnant daughter and a fictional pizza day, police say.

According to police, the woman showed up at a 57-year-old man’s door on the Mountain Thursday, underdressed for the weather and in a panic.

She told the man her daughter was in labour, and that she desperately needed a ride to her house. The man didn’t recognize the woman, police Const. Steve Welton told CBC Hamilton, but assumed she was a neighbour.

This person has a prolific history of intentionally targeting members of our community. - Const. Stephen Welton, Hamilton police

The two got in the man’s car, and started to drive. During the drive, the woman told the man it was also pizza day at her son’s school, and asked him to break a $50 bill so she’d have some change to give him, police say.

She handed over $50, and he gave her change. Not long after, she asked him to do the same with a $100 bill, police say. He gave her the change, but she never gave him back the $100, Welton says.

Instead, she ran off, leaving the man short $100.

Officers were able to track down the woman fairly quickly, Welton says, in part because she is “very well known to police.”

“This person has a prolific history of intentionally targeting members of our community,” he said.

A 47-year-old woman was charged with theft by conversion under $5,000, and failing to comply with her probation.