A man described by police as a skilled, potentially violent, long-time con artist has allegedly struck in the Lower Mainland.

Police believe Richard Earl Rupert has made a living from fleecing elderly, sometimes disabled, people across Canada for 40 years. They say that Rupert, 54, is so skilled a con artist he's managed to elude the string of arrest warrants that follow him across the country.

View the Toronto Police Service's wanted poster for Rupert here.

"He's very prolific," Const. Jana McGuiness told ctvbc.ca. "He's so successful because he's basically hiding in plain sight. He's unassuming, polite, and very engaging. In many, many cases, seniors aren't reporting the scams or they don't realize they've been taken."

As well, she says that Rupert never stays long in any one place.

"When he feels heat on him from police he leaves town," McGuiness said. "So he's successful to a point and then he leaves."

Police believe Rupert's latest victim is an elderly man living in a Vancouver seniors' lodge. Video surveillance tape shows a suspect believed to be Rupert counting money in a West End elevator, after leaving the seniors' lodge on Aug. 3.

He had earlier been spotted following an elderly resident with a walker into the building in the 1000-block of Burnaby Street. Rupert allegedly approached the senior and posed as a building manager collecting rent.

He allegedly accompanied the man to his apartment where he took more than $100.

Police say Rupert often convinces elderly people that he's building staff or a relative who needs help.

He's also been known to accompany seniors to their bank teller, where he'll act as if he's a relative who's helping them withdraw money. Once he gets the cash, he bolts, McGuiness said.

"Unfortunately, it's a testament to how smooth this guy really is that he can often pull the wool over their eyes. They don't even realize they've been had. These are some of our most vulnerable citizens."

Although Rupert is said to be friendly toward his alleged victims, McGuiness cautions that he can be violent.

"On at least one occasion out east he pushed a woman down for money, so that's of concern to us as well."

It isn't Rupert's first time in B.C. Police have reports of two fraud-related incidents in 2008, allegedly involving Rupert. He is wanted by Winnipeg police for incidents that occurred in June and July. In Ontario, he's wanted for a string of frauds and robberies.

According to a police news release, "Rupert is white, approximately 5-6 with dark blondish, grey receding hair, chiselled cheekbones and a reddish complexion. He is clean shaven and appears to be clean cut, well dressed and well spoken."

Vancouver police would like to catch Rupert and send him back to Toronto to face a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

"We're appealing to the public to help us. We'd like to get him in custody and ship him back east," McGuinness said.