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UPDATE: RCMP find Internet fraudster targeting women in Metro Vancouver

Coquitlam RCMP are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man believed to be committing fraud and theft.
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The suspect has used multiple aliases including 'Richard Harvey Silver

UPDATE: Coquitlam RCMP say the man suspected of online fraud has been identified. The investigation is still active and charges have not yet been laid so the suspect’s name will not be released at this time.

A man believed to be an Internet romance fraudster, stealing from women he meets online, had Coquitlam Mounties warning Metro Vancouver women looking for love on Feb. 14.

Police have linked the unidentified man, who goes by several aliases, to four cases of theft in the Metro Vancouver area.

In one case, a Coquitlam woman met the man on New Year’s Day after he had answered her online personal ad.

"The man was very charming and was soon staying at the victim’s home," police said in a news release.

He disappeared a week later, allegedly stealing her house keys and bank cards. Money had also been withdrawn from her account.

The woman never saw the man's home or vehicle. His numbers have since changed, and his email addresses don't lead anywhere, police say. He also never lived at the address he claimed to live at.

Police still want to speak to witnesses, and describe the man as 45 years old, six-foot-three and 250 lbs., with dark brown hair that may be in a ponytail, a trim beard and "very blue eyes."

His aliases include Richard Harvey Silver, Jack Harvey, Dan Whelan and James Whelan.

Police believe other women may also have been subject to this scam.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and ask for Const. Sienna Cooke.


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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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