A 69-year-old British woman, Janet Fordham, who lost her life savings and home to romance fraudsters over five years, died in a car crash while trying to recoup some of her losses in Ghana.
Fordham was scammed out of £800,000-£1m by fraudsters based in the UK, Germany, the US, and Ghana, an inquest heard. She met one man online who claimed to be a British army sergeant major working in Syria, and later another claiming to be a diplomat.
Despite efforts from her family and police to stop her sending money to scammers, Fordham continued to transfer funds, including £150,000, until she was convinced by a man known as Kofi that he could help her get her money back. She flew to Ghana in October 2022 and agreed to marry the man.
The relationship turned romantic, and Fordham travelled with him on Valentine's Day in 2023 when the car crashed, killing her. An investigation concluded no third party was involved in the crash, but there were inconsistencies in the evidence about the incident.
Senior coroner Philip Spinney concluded that Fordham died as a consequence of a head injury sustained in the road traffic collision.
The case highlights the devastating impact of romance fraud and the need for vigilance and education to prevent such scams.