CENTER TWP — State police are warning residents not to open their doors for strangers following an apparent distraction theft Wednesday.

In this case, the 81-year-old homeowner discovered $47 missing from his wallet.

Police are looking for the unknown thief, a white woman in her early-20s. She is described as being about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 110 pounds. She has a thin build and black hair.

According to police, the suspect showed up at the victim’s home on South Benbrook Road in Center Township between 11 and 11:30 a.m. and asked to use the bathroom.

The elderly man allowed the woman inside. After using the bathroom, police said, the suspect asked for a ride to Slippery Rock. When the man refused, she made another request.

“(She) asked for a pair of socks in order tor walk to Slippery Rock,” according to a police report.

The woman, the report noted, was wearing black sandal-type shoes.

The homeowner, this time, agreed to the request and left the woman alone briefly to walk to his bedroom to retrieve a pair of socks.

Police believe that while the victim was trying to help the woman, she helped herself to the money in his wallet that was on a kitchen cabinet.

The woman accepted the socks and “politely excused herself from the residence,” the report said. She was last seen walking away. She was wearing a gray hooded sweat shirt and black long pants.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 724-284-8100.

The crime prompted Trooper Cody Spangler, the investigating officer, to offer up advise to all residents.

“I would like to remind the public to use extreme caution when dealing with unknown individuals that come to your home,” he said. “It is never a good idea to allow strangers into your home.”