A husband and wife have been arrested in connection with an elder abuse and fraud investigation after an elderly woman lost her life savings in a scam.

Norma Marshall, 94, lost $25,000 and almost all of her jewelry and furniture when her housekeeper's family moved into her Toronto home, police said in a news conference Wednesday.

Vera Nunes, 32, and her husband Luis Serpa Da Conceicao Santos, 38, both of Toronto, have been charged with two counts of mischief under $5,000 and mischief interfering with property.

Marshall hired her housekeeper Nunes almost four years ago, when her previous caretaker left. She got the woman's number from a friend, who had been handed a flyer.

Nunes started cleaning the house, but soon offered to cook for Marshall as well, so Marshall didn't need to rely on delivery services for food, she said.

Marshall told the media she'd been living off food from Meals on Wheels, a program that delivers meals for about $5 to elderly and disabled individuals.

Police said Nunes quickly became involved in Marshall's daily activities, and allege that she gained access to her bank accounts.

In early 2014, police said the housekeeper told Marshall she'd be moving back to her native country of Portugal, and invited the elderly senior to accompany her family.

Marshall agreed, and was "coerced" into giving Nunes and her family funds to help with the move, Det. Const. Valerie Dahan said at the conference.

However, a few days later Marshall said she was surprised when the housekeeper, her two children and her husband appeared at her door with all of their possessions. They told her they were moving into her home, and moved the senior to a smaller bedroom, she said.

"I had the husband and wife and the two children there, and my furniture was all gone so I didn't really feel at home," Marshall said. "The only place I felt at home was in my own bedroom."

On March 26, police were called to Marshall's home when a delivery man who was familiar with the elderly woman noticed she'd been acting strange.

Firoz Jogiat had delivered Marshall's medicine to her home nearly every week for 10 years, and said he was surprised when a man he didn't recognize answered the door one week.

The man claimed he was a family member, but Jogiat said Marshall had told him that her only living relative is a nephew who lives in Montreal, so the delivery man became suspicious.

The following week, he asked the man at the door if he could see Marshall. He said he was led into a small bedroom where he said she was "confined."

Back at the pharmacy, he told pharmacist Selina Chan-Ying about the experience, saying that Marshall refused to look him in the eye when he tried to make conversation.

"He felt that she was scared, so I thought, it's time to do something," Chan-Ying said, so she called police.

Toronto police are urging other seniors to come forward, as she said she believes there may be other victims.

"The life savings is one thing, but what it does to you emotionally is worse," Marshall said. "You can recover (financially). You don't need a lot of money when you're old, you just need your rent and some food, but you do need people around you."

Warning signs of elder abuse

Elder abuse is any harm caused to someone over the age of 65 by a person in a position of trust or authority, Patricia Fleischmann, vulnerable persons co-ordinator for Toronto Police Services said at the news conference.

Abuse can be physical, emotional or financial, or can come in the form of neglect.

"The case of Norma Marshall is a classic example of a vulnerable individual who became a victim or elder abuse through no fault of her own," Fleischmann said.

Common indicators of abuse include: