Janet Fordham, 69, a retired housekeeper, had her entire savings stolen by scammers over five years.
Authorities recently made the case public, serving as a stark warning about persistent online "love traps" that continue to ensnare unsuspecting victims.
Investigations revealed that Fordham began using online dating websites in 2017. She met a man who claimed to be a British army captain serving in Syria, who then told her he needed her help to transport gold bars back to the UK.
Court records indicate she accumulated credit card debt and borrowed approximately 140,000 GBP to send to him.
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Janet Fordham, 69, lost all her savings to a romance scam. Photo: Telegraph
Subsequently, a man named Kofi contacted Fordham. He claimed to be a doctor in Ghana, working part-time at a friend's mobile phone repair shop. Kofi stated he had seen her messages in an online group and believed she had been scammed by the first man. He professed to "feel responsible" and offered to help her recover her money, initiating contact himself.
Fordham subsequently developed feelings for Kofi. In October 2022, she flew to Ghana to meet her new boyfriend.
Family: we tried everything to stop her
Upon her arrival in the West African nation, Fordham was living in a mobile home at the residence of Melanie Fordham in Honiton, Devon, southwest England.
Her daughter-in-law stated, "The whole family tried everything to stop her, but she was adamant." She added, "Mom didn't communicate much with us, so we started opening some letters and discovered she had withdrawn part of her pension."
Bank statements revealed she was withdrawing up to 500 GBP daily, accumulating cash that she then transferred to her boyfriend.
The family consulted Fordham's doctor and sought legal advice. However, she was deemed to be of sound mind and legally competent, leaving her children powerless to intervene.
On the day of the accident, Fordham and Kofi were driving approximately 350 km from the capital Accra to Ghana's Oti region "to seek family permission for marriage." The vehicle suddenly veered off the road. Fordham died from severe injuries sustained in the collision, which occurred on 14/2/2023.
Court records show Kofi pleaded guilty to traffic violations and received a suspended prison sentence along with a fine.
Police data indicates Britons lost a total of 106 million GBP to romance scams in 2024. Nearly 10,000 romance scams were reported, with an average loss of 11,000 GBP per victim. Primary targets are middle-aged individuals, often those experiencing divorce or the loss of a loved one.
Doctor Elisabeth Carter, a criminologist and dating fraud expert at Kingston University, explained, "Unfortunately, online dating makes people vulnerable to scams because they often willingly share personal information and desire to show trust in a new partner."
She added, "Moreover, the more time and emotion individuals invest in a relationship, the harder it becomes to refuse financial requests. Similarly, admitting to being scammed is challenging, as it means acknowledging the entire relationship was a fabrication."
Hai Thu (According to Telegraph)
