A man accused of romancing a Coquitlam woman and then stealing from her has been identified and charged, and the Coquitlam RCMP are now asking for the public’s help in locating him.
On Jan. 1 the suspect, who called himself Richard Silver, responded to a personal ad posted by the woman. His persuasive charm, according to the police, won her over and soon he was staying at her house.
“The victim found herself spending all her time with the suspect but she never went to the suspect’s residence and never saw his vehicle,” police stated in a release last month.
A week later, he was gone — along with the victim’s house keys and bank cards. Cash was withdrawn from her accounts and police said the suspect’s phone number and email address had changed, and he wasn't living at the address he initially gave.
Police linked the suspect with three similar cases in Metro Vancouver and throughout B.C. under multiple aliases, and since identifying him have also found he’s wanted for warrants in Ontario and Quebec.
Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said help from the public was invaluable in moving the investigation forward.
“Without the help of news organizations, social media and the public, we would not have been able to identify a suspect, get an arrest warrant and protect future victims,” McLaughlin said.
Police believe there are additional victims of this alleged romance fraud and they’re encouraging those who haven’t yet spoken to investigators to come forward.
Ross Thomas Bullough, a 44-year-old man of no fixed address, is charged with two counts of credit card fraud, two counts of possession of a stolen credit card and one count of theft under $5,000 in connection with the Coquitlam file.
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