British Woman Died in Ghana Crash After Losing £1m to Romance Scams
A British woman who was systematically defrauded of up to £1 million in a series of sophisticated romance scams tragically died in a road crash in Ghana while attempting to recoup some of her lost fortune, an inquest in Devon has revealed.
The inquest in Exeter heard that Janet Fordham, a 69-year-old retired housekeeper, was cheated out of her life savings and her home over a five-year period by fraudsters operating from locations including the UK, Germany, the United States, and Ghana.
A Desperate Journey to Recover Lost Funds
Fordham's ordeal began in 2017 when she started using online dating websites. Her daughter-in-law, Melanie Fordham, testified that Janet met a man claiming to be a British army sergeant major stationed in Syria who needed assistance transporting gold bars to the UK.
"She said they were in love and were going to buy a house together," Melanie Fordham recalled. "I warned her not to send any money, but she is believed to have transferred approximately £150,000 to him."
Subsequently, Fordham was targeted by another fraudster posing as a diplomat. Despite family interventions, she continued sending money through various means, including bank transfers and wire services at post offices.
The Fatal Trip to West Africa
In 2022, Fordham was contacted by a man in Ghana known as Kofi, who claimed to be a doctor. He asserted he had discovered she was being scammed while working part-time in a phone shop and offered to help recover her money.
Despite desperate attempts by her family and Devon and Cornwall police to prevent the trip, Fordham—judged to be of sound mind—flew to Accra in October 2022. "She traveled with the belief that she could retrieve some or all of that money," Melanie Fordham explained.
The relationship with Kofi reportedly evolved into a romance, and Fordham agreed to marry him. On Valentine's Day 2023, while he was driving her to meet a family member to discuss the marriage, the car swerved and flipped onto its roof.
Inquest Findings and Police Investigation
Fordham, who was not wearing a seatbelt, sustained fatal injuries in the crash. Devon and Cornwall police concluded no third party was involved, and the driver admitted to a driving offense.
Detective Sergeant Ben Smith informed the inquest that Fordham had been victim to a "sustained fraud" between 2017 and 2022, during which she sent an estimated £800,000 to £1 million to criminals. To finance these payments, she sold her home and land, eventually living in a caravan in Devon.
"Police have endeavored to do everything possible to persuade Janet not to have contact with these criminals or hand over money," DS Smith stated.
Senior coroner Philip Spinney noted "some inconsistencies and gaps in the evidence" regarding the crash, emphasizing that the incident had not been rigorously scrutinized. He concluded that Fordham died from a head injury probably sustained in the road traffic collision.
This heartbreaking case underscores the devastating impact of romance scams, which exploit emotional vulnerabilities to commit financial crimes, leaving victims not only bankrupt but sometimes in mortal danger.
