A widow in Ghana tragically lost her life in a road accident after falling victim to romance scams amounting to £1 million, an inquest revealed. 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 disclosed that Mrs. Fordham had been deceived by multiple online scams over a five-year span, resulting in the loss of her home and life savings, estimated at up to £1 million.
The retired housekeeper, residing in a caravan at her son’s residence in Honiton, Devon, began using online dating platforms in 2017. She encountered an individual posing as a British Army sergeant major stationed in Syria, seeking her assistance in transporting gold bars to the UK. Despite initial reluctance to discuss money, Mrs. Fordham eventually sent approximately £150,000 to the scammer before discovering further deceit by a fake “diplomat,” leading to her UK bank accounts being frozen.
Subsequently, another individual named Kofi, claiming to be a doctor in Ghana, contacted Mrs. Fordham after suspecting she had been scammed. Despite police involvement in fraud allegations in 2017, 2020, and 2022, Mrs. Fordham remained entangled in financial schemes, losing a substantial amount between £800,000 and £1 million, selling her property, and living in a caravan with family.
Despite warnings and interventions from authorities and her family, Mrs. Fordham persisted in her connections with the scammers. Tragically, on the day of her demise, she and Kofi were en route to seek approval for marriage when the fatal accident occurred, resulting in Mrs. Fordham’s death. The court confirmed that no external factors contributed to the crash, and Kofi received a suspended prison sentence and fine for driving offenses.
In a narrative conclusion, the senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay highlighted Mrs. Fordham’s substantial financial losses and her journey to Ghana to meet Kofi, suggesting romantic intentions. The coroner determined that Mrs. Fordham’s death was a consequence of a head injury sustained in the road traffic collision.
