In a shocking turn of events, 57-year-old Annette Ford from Perth became homeless after falling victim to an online love scam. Reports from NDTV reveal that she lost Rs. 4.3 crore to a scammer and is now couch-surfing in Western Australia, hoping to find affordable housing while the fraudsters remain at large. After ending her 33-year marriage in 2018, Ford sought companionship on the dating site 'Plenty Fish' and began chatting with a man named 'William.' Over several months, he gained her trust before asking for financial assistance.
Claiming he was in Kuala Lumpur and had been mugged, he requested Rs 2,75,000 ($5,000) for immediate expenses. Believing his story, Ford transferred the money. "He said he had been mugged outside his work site, and they took his wallet and cards," she recalled.
Soon after, William claimed to be hospitalized and needed another $5,000 for medical bills. Ford sent the money, thinking she was helping someone in distress. The requests kept coming, with William asking for funds to cover hotel bills and wages for his workers, insisting he had no access to his bank cards. By the time Ford realized she was being scammed, she had lost Rs 1.6 crore ($300,000) from her retirement savings. She reported the fraud to the Australian Federal Police but received no updates on her case.
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Four years later, Ford encountered another scammer on Facebook, a man named 'Nelson.' He claimed to be from Amsterdam and said he needed $2,500 for an FBI investigation. Initially hesitant, she was persuaded to deposit money he sent her into a Bitcoin ATM. This led to large sums moving in and out of her account, resulting in a loss of another Rs 1.5 crore ($2,80,000). Having lost everything, Ford now warns others to be cautious of online scammers: "They say all the right things, they sweep you off your feet, but they're going to take your money and leave you broke," she stated.