Edmonton police say a man has been breaking into central Edmonton assisted-living residences and stealing valuables from seniors.

Since Dec. 2, five separate break-ins and several other attempts to gain access to seniors facilities have been reported to downtown division officers.

A suspect has posed as a maintenance worker or security guard to gain access to suites while residents are at home, police said in a news release Monday.

The suspect convinces the resident that he's there to do work or check on things. He then distracts the resident and steals valuables from their room, police said.

"We want to remind seniors to not allow anyone they don't know into their building or suite," downtown division Const. Megan Holmes said. "They can check with the front desk staff in their facility to confirm if someone was called out to their suite and report any suspicious person to building management."

The suspect is described as a tall, clean-shaven male, between 30 and 40 years old, dressed in maintenance-worker type clothing.

Anyone with information that could help identity the suspect or any other related incidents is asked to contact the Edmonton Police Service or Crime Stoppers.