A British grandmother who lost £1million to romance fraudsters over five years died in a road collision in Ghana, an inquest has heard.
Janet Fordham, 69, sustained fatal injuries when the vehicle she was travelling in crashed on February 14, 2023.
The retired housekeeper had flown to the West African nation in October 2022 to meet a man called Kofi.
By that point, Mrs Fordham had exhausted her entire savings, sold her property and land, and was living in a caravan at her son Martin and daughter-in-law Melanie Fordham's home in Honiton, Devon.
Devon Coroner's Court was told the widow's troubles began in 2017 when she joined online dating platforms.
She encountered a fraudster posing as a British Army sergeant major stationed in Syria who claimed he needed assistance transporting gold bars to the UK.
"He was retiring soon to return to the UK. She said they were in love and they were going to buy a house together," Melanie Fordham told the inquest.
"Janet mentioned nothing about any money at that point, but I remember candidly saying to her that it all seemed a little unbelievable, and the next thing he would be asking for money."
Janet Fordham, 69, sustained fatal injuries when the vehicle she was travelling in crashed on February 14, 2023
|GOFUNDME
Mrs Fordham's daughter-in-law explicitly warned her against sending funds, but the widow had already begun transferring cash without her family's knowledge.
The court heard she sent approximately £150,000 to this initial scammer.
Her relatives remain uncertain how she then handed over her money to even more fraudsters.
A person claiming to be a diplomat defrauded her - after her UK bank accounts were frozen.
CRIME - READ THE LATEST:
Devon Coroner's Court was told the widow's troubles began in 2017 when she joined online dating platforms
|"I think she realised that she had been scammed, but initially struggled to accept it," Melanie Fordham said.
Multiple banks and the Post Office eventually blocked Mrs Fordham from using their services after recognising the transactions as fraudulent.
The widow then began withdrawing £500 daily in cash, the maximum permitted, which her family believes she stockpiled before transferring abroad.
Her car was even confiscated to prevent her accessing cash machines.
Mrs Fordham's daughter-in-law warned her explicitly against sending funds, but the widow had already begun transferring cash online
|GETTY
She borrowed roughly £140,000 from relatives and fell behind on loan and credit card repayments.
The family discovered she had also cashed in part of her pension.
Kofi subsequently made contact with Mrs Fordham, saying he was a Ghanaian doctor who worked part-time at a mobile phone repair shop.
He found messages on a device that suggested she had been defrauded and felt compelled to help recover her funds.
The pair then developed a genuine romantic relationship.
Detective Sergeant Ben Smith of Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed officers spoke to Mrs Fordham about fraud allegations in 2017, 2020 and 2022.
However, investigations could not progress because she declined to cooperate.
"Police throughout these investigations have endeavoured to do everything they can to persuade Janet not to have any contact with the criminals and not to hand over money," he said.
Mrs Fordham and Kofi were travelling from Accra to the Oti region on the day of her death
|GETTY
"There was no issue with capacity and that she was making these decisions of her own free will."
On the day of her death, Mrs Fordham and Kofi were travelling from Accra to the Oti region to seek a family member's blessing for their marriage.
Kofi was behind the wheel when the vehicle left the road.
He subsequently admitted driving offences and received a suspended prison sentence along with a fine.
Police confirmed no evidence suggested third-party involvement in her death.
Senior coroner Philip Spinney noted that Mrs Fordham never lodged a formal police complaint nor fully cooperated with investigations.
Her son wrote on a fundraising page: "The system very much let us down. Everywhere we turned we were told there was no help.
"Because she was of sound mind, although everyone could see she was being controlled, we were absolutely powerless to step in and help."
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter