KITCHENER — A door-to-door salesperson who convinced seniors to buy more than $200,000 worth of overpriced water treatment systems they didn't need was sent to jail for six months on Thursday.

"This is a predatory crime," Crown prosecutor Laura Doherty said. "The facts are very concerning for the public to have someone like this going door to door and targeting elderly people."

Edgardo Castro, 42, pleaded guilty to four criminal charges, including fraudulently using credit card data, and two provincial offences: engaging in unfair business practices and breaching probation terms.

It was the unfair business practices, contravening Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, that sent him to jail.

From June 2014 to early 2016, Castro sold items for $215,000 to elderly customers. Many of the customers were on fixed incomes.

He operated a Kitchener business called New Age Home Care Products, previously called Universal Water Technologies. The specialty of both businesses was "high-pressure sales," Doherty said.

"While representing these businesses, Mr. Castro would supply consumers with water treatment equipment, extended warranties for consumers' existing water treatment equipment or water treatment supplies," according to an agreed statement of facts.

"Mr. Castro would convince consumers that these goods or services were needed by the consumer when they were not."

Often, after selling a water treatment system with a lifetime warranty, Castro would return to customers and say the warranty was now "defunct" and they needed to buy a new warranty.

Although he had no prior criminal record, in 2013 the Brantford man pleaded guilty to two counts of unfair business practices. He was fined and put on probation. He committed the latest offences while on probation.

One of the criminal charges relates to February 2016 when Castro sold a 74-year-old woman a reverse osmosis system and ultraviolet light system. After she paid the full amount of $7,900, Castro charged another $5,700 to her credit card. He hoped she wouldn't notice, court was told.

When she did notice it, she called Castro, who told her it was a "billing error" and he promised to return the money in three days. He didn't return it until she went to the police.

Justice Colin Westman sentenced Castro to six months in jail on the unfair practices and 30 days concurrent on the breach of probation. He must make restitution to the victims.

Westman said jail should be the last resort for judges.

"Nobody wins when you go into custody. It's loss-loss both ways."

But he added courts must protect "gullible" consumers.

"Age creates a certain amount of vulnerability," he said.

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Castro received a suspended sentence and three years of probation on the criminal charges. Probation terms ban him from selling door to door. He now works as a full-time sales associate at a retailer in Brantford, court was told.

Westman told Castro if he commits another crime, he could be sentenced on the initial charges.

"Keep that in the back of your mind as you're going forward in life."