TORONTO, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Police in and around Toronto are investigating how some $1.5 million in transit fare and parking meter coins are unaccounted for, city officials said.
An audit in Toronto alerted authorities to the discrepancy as officials in neighboring Vaughn and Mississauga and the city of Hamilton also reviewed their dealings with the Avero Security armored truck company, the Toronto Star reported Tuesday.
Irregularities in bank deposits Avero made on the cities' behalf date back as far as 2007, when company officials apologized and said the discrepancies would be rectified, the report said.
None of the four municipalities were aware the others were experiencing problems, the Star said.
Transit and parking fees are almost entirely paid with coins ranging in value from five cents to $2. Avero was contracted to sort, roll and deposit the tons of coins, although the Star quoted investigative sources as saying the company has gone out of business.
Preliminary estimates show Hamilton took the biggest loss of about $1 million, while Toronto auditors estimate $320,000 was missing, the report said.
