A tragic incident unfolded in Ghana as a widow lost her life in a road accident after falling victim to romance scams amounting to £1 million, according to an inquest report. Janet Fordham, 69, sustained fatal injuries in a collision on February 14, 2023, during her visit to Ghana in October the previous year. The Devon Coroner’s Court revealed that Mrs. Fordham had been deceived by multiple online scams over five years, leading to the loss of her home and life savings.
At the time of her trip to Ghana, the retired housekeeper was residing in a caravan at her son and daughter-in-law’s residence in Honiton, Devon. Mrs. Fordham had started using online dating platforms in 2017 and encountered a man posing as a British Army sergeant major stationed in Syria. The man claimed to need assistance moving gold bars to the UK, and Mrs. Fordham believed they were in love and planned to purchase a house together, despite initial doubts from her family.
Mrs. Fordham’s family later discovered that she had sent around £150,000 to the man. Additionally, she was defrauded by a “diplomat” after her UK bank accounts were frozen. Another individual named Kofi, who identified himself as a doctor in Ghana, contacted Mrs. Fordham to inform her that she had been scammed. Although police were involved in investigating the fraud allegations, Mrs. Fordham’s lack of cooperation hindered further progress.
Despite warnings from her family and authorities, Mrs. Fordham continued transferring money abroad using various methods, including bitcoin and ATMs. She borrowed significant sums from family members and cashed in part of her pension, leading to financial distress. In October 2022, she flew to Ghana to meet Kofi, with whom she was romantically involved, against her family’s advice.
Detective Sergeant Ben Smith of Devon and Cornwall Police highlighted Mrs. Fordham’s repeated victimization in fraud cases over the years, estimating her total losses at £800,000 to £1 million. Mrs. Fordham eventually exhausted all her savings, sold her property, and resorted to living with her family in a caravan. Despite efforts to dissuade her from engaging with scammers, Mrs. Fordham’s decisions were deemed to be of her own volition.
Tragically, Mrs. Fordham lost her life in a car accident while traveling with Kofi in Ghana. The court disclosed that Kofi pleaded guilty to driving offenses related to the incident. The coroner’s conclusion emphasized Mrs. Fordham’s substantial financial losses due to fraud and her fatal head injury sustained in the road collision.