UPDATE: Thanks to the quick work of the public, media and the RCMP, the suspected online fraudster has been identified. The investigation is still active and since charges have not yet been laid, the suspect’s name will not be released at this time.
Love may be in the air this Valentine’s Day, but Coquitlam RCMP are asking women to be on alert for an alleged Internet romance fraudster.
Investigators say on Jan. 1, a Coquitlam woman met a man who answered a personal ad she had posted on a site that has not been disclosed.
The man was very charming and was soon staying at the victim’s home. The victim found herself spending all her time with the suspect, but she never went to the suspect’s home and never saw his car.
On Jan. 7, the man walked out of the victim’s home and disappeared.
The victim found that her house keys and bank cards had been stolen and money had been withdrawn from her account.
WATCH: Romance scam suspect
The suspect’s phone numbers have since changed and his email addresses have led nowhere. It also turned out that he never lived at the address he claimed.
“All the information this man has given the victim was completely false – his name, where he lived, all the people he knew – it was a complete lie,” Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with Coquitlam RCMP told Global News.
But the woman was not the only victim of the suspect – police have linked the same suspect to three similar cases in the Metro Vancouver area, going back to 2011.
The suspect is described as 45-years old, 6’3”, 250 pounds, with a stocky build and round face.
He has dark brown hair that may be in a ponytail, a trim beard and very blue eyes.
He has also used multiple aliases, including “Richard Harvey Silver,” “Jack Harvey,” “Dan Whelan” and “James Whelan.”
Investigators remind there are ways to protect yourself – whether online or otherwise, be careful of people who want to get too close, too quickly and who always want you to pay.
“If people want to know your banking information and personal details and you don’t know theirs, that’s a problem,” McLaughlin said.
Anyone who may be a victim or knows anything about the suspect is asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP.
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