British widow dies in Ghana road crash after £1m romance scam losses
Janet Fordham, 69, died in a car crash on February 14, 2023 in Ghana. She had come to the country "to get approval from a family member for marriage" to a Ghanaian man she met online.
Mrs. Fordham had lost up to £1m in romance frauds over a five-year period. She started using online dating websites in 2017 and met a man who claimed to be a British Army sergeant major working in Syria. Her daughter-in-law, Melanie Fordham, said, "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." She also borrowed around £140,000 from other family members. Detective Sergeant Ben Smith, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said officers contacted Mrs. Fordham about allegations of fraud in 2017, 2020 and 2022 and tried to persuade her "not to have any contact with the criminals and not to hand over money".
Kofi later pleaded guilty to drivin...
Quick Summary
A British widow became entangled in a web of online romance scams, losing her life savings and home. She then travelled to Ghana to meet a man she met online - but what happened next has left her family devastated.
Summary - read the full story for complete context.

Image: MyJoyOnline
GhanaFront aggregates news from trusted sources. Click to read the original article.
Keywords
Explore related tagsMore from MyJoyOnline
Related Stories
More from Politics

British widow dies in Ghana car crash after losing up to £1m in romance frauds
A British widow's quest for love and lost funds ends in tragedy - but what really happened in Ghana?
1h ago•4 min read

Ghana mamed in U.S. car theft ring shipping stolen vehicles across the Atlantic
An international car theft ring with Ghana links has been busted - but how deep does this rabbit hole go?
5h ago•3 min read

EU decides on key €90bn Ukraine loan after pipeline deadlock ends
After a long impasse, will a crucial financial lifeline for Ukraine finally be approved?
1d ago•3 min read

Three cargo ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz after Trump extends ceasefire
Amidst a ceasefire extension, attacks on cargo ships spark worries - but what's really happening in the Strait of Hormuz?
1d ago•4 min read



![Even if GFA is paying, is it public funds? - ExCo member questions critics over Carlos Queiroz's hotel stay [Listen]](https://ghanafront.com/storage/images/2026/04/even-if-gfa-is-paying-is-it-public-funds-exco-member-questions-critics-over-carlos-queirozs-hotel-stay-listen-b10668fe-card.webp)
