A British widow tragically lost her life in a road accident in Ghana after being defrauded of up to £1 million through a series of romance scams, an inquest has revealed. Janet Fordham, 69, a retired housekeeper, sustained fatal injuries in a collision on February 14, 2023, after travelling to the country the previous October.
The Scams That Ruined Her Life
Devon Coroner's Court heard that Mrs Fordham fell victim to multiple online scams over a five-year period, resulting in the loss of her home and life savings. At the time of her travel to Ghana, she was living in a caravan at her son Martin and daughter-in-law Melanie Fordham's home in Honiton, Devon.
Mrs Fordham began using online dating websites in 2017 and met a man claiming to be a British Army sergeant major stationed in Syria. He allegedly needed her help to transport 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 recounted. "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. I told her categorically not to send him any. Janet had been sending money to him, but we didn't find out about this until years later. I believe she gave him around £150,000."
After her UK bank accounts were frozen, Mrs Fordham was further defrauded by someone posing as a "diplomat." Her family noted that she struggled to accept she had been scammed. "We're not clear how Janet transitioned from one fraud to the next," Melanie said. "We became aware that she transferred money by several means, including bank transfers, wire transfers at the post office, and potentially a travel agent. The banks, post office etc stopped her from using their services because they recognised that it was fraud."
Another Scammer Emerges
The inquest heard that another man, named Kofi, contacted Mrs Fordham, claiming to be a doctor in Ghana who worked part-time in a friend's mobile phone repair shop. "He was working on a phone that saw messages to and from Janet on there. He believed Janet had been scammed," Melanie said. "He felt compelled to help her get her money back. So, he took her phone number and made contact." Police spoke with Mrs Fordham about Kofi, but she did not engage with the investigation.
The court heard that Mrs Fordham continued to transfer money abroad using bitcoin and ATMs. "Whether she was in so deep, she couldn't accept it was all gone, she had to keep piling money in the hope of getting something back," Melanie added. "Whether she genuinely believed what she was being told, we will never know." Mrs Fordham also borrowed around £140,000 from family members and fell into arrears on loans and credit cards. She cashed in a chunk of her pension and withdrew up to £500 daily to stockpile cash for transfers.
Fatal Journey to Ghana
In October 2022, Mrs Fordham flew to Ghana to meet Kofi, with whom she had a romantic connection. "As a family, we tried everything to stop her, but she was adamant," Melanie said. "I spoke to her doctor, sought legal advice, but because she was of sound mind, albeit brainwashed, she was deemed to have capacity and there was nothing we could do."
Detective Sergeant Ben Smith of Devon and Cornwall Police stated that officers had contact with Mrs Fordham regarding fraud allegations in 2017, 2020, and 2022. "It shows Janet Fordham as a sustained victim of fraud throughout that period," he said. "It's believed that Janet has sent a considerable amount of money, estimated at between £800,000 and £1 million over that period. As a result, she had used all her savings, sold her home and land, and was living in a caravan with Martin and Melanie in their garden. 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."
On the day of her death, Mrs Fordham and Kofi were driving from Accra to the Oti region "to get approval from a family member for marriage," according to Mr Smith. Kofi was driving when the car left the road and crashed, causing fatal injuries to Mrs Fordham. He later pleaded guilty to driving offences and received a suspended prison sentence and fine. Mr Smith confirmed no evidence suggested third-party involvement in her death.
Senior coroner Philip Spinney recorded a narrative conclusion, stating: "The evidence shows that Janet Fordham lost a considerable amount of money between 2017 and 2022. The true figure is not known, but it's believed to be between £800,000 and £1 million. Devon and Cornwall Police investigated these matters, although Janet herself did not ever make a formal complaint to the police, nor did she co-operate fully with the police investigation. In October 2022, she travelled to Ghana to meet a man named Kofi. He had agreed to help her try and recover some of the money. The family believed that she also went for romantic reasons. Indeed, it's believed that she planned to marry Kofi." He concluded that Mrs Fordham died as a consequence of a head injury probably sustained in a road traffic collision.
