Toronto police and Metrolinx staff are investigating the theft of more than 1,000 pre-loaded Presto cards in the Toronto area.

About 1,100 cards valued at $20 per card were stolen from a third-party vendor, according to Metrolinx.

“We have determined that none of the cards are in use as yet and we have initiated a blocking action, so if sold, the cards will be of no value to the purchaser,” said Anne Marie Aikins, senior manager of Metrolinx.

Police have not released any further information regarding the thefts and the investigation is ongoing.

Cards being sold at a reduced cost, usually online, have been deemed as a “red flag” according to Metrolinx officials, who are urging the public to stay away from those “scams.”

“Any cards with value to them — people will sometimes sell them on online and they often will say they’re at a reduced price,” said Aikins. “The best advice we can give is to only purchase it from an authorized customer service outlet.”

A new privacy policy was adopted by Metrolinx earlier this month after the Star revealed the agency had been sharing transit users’ travel information with police.

Read more about: