‘I was foolish enough to keep going’: Woman’s search for love ends in a $780,000 scam
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Falling in love online can feel like a dream come true—but what happens when that dream turns into a financial nightmare?
For one Australian woman, the search for companionship took a devastating turn, leaving her with nothing but heartbreak and an empty bank account.
What unfolded was a series of events that serve as a harsh reminder of the growing dangers lurking behind seemingly innocent digital connections.
A Perth woman searching for love online lost her entire life savings—more than $780,000—after falling victim to two separate romance scams.
Annette Ford, 57, said her ordeal began in 2018 after the breakdown of her 33-year marriage, when she joined a dating platform and met a man named William.
‘I was gullible and foolish and I thought I was in love…we’re all so desperate for love,’ she said.
She explained that after decades of financial security with her husband handling their accounts, she struggled to move forward and wanted companionship.
William claimed he was working in Kuala Lumpur, and after months of online communication, he asked her for $5000, saying he had been mugged.
‘The next thing I know he’s in hospital and I’m being landed with a $5000 hospital payable to an Australian doctor,’ she said.
She covered the bill, but the requests didn’t stop—there were hotel fees, worker payments, and other expenses, all justified by William’s inability to access his funds.
Despite her suspicions, she continued to send money as he always had a convincing explanation.
‘There were many times I had huge arguments over the phone saying: “You’re scamming me, do you think I’m stupid?” but it kept going,’ she said.
William ultimately drained more than $300,000 from her accounts, including her self-managed super fund.
When she reported the fraud to the Australian Federal Police, she said she was told she should have gone directly to her local police instead.
Four years later, in 2022, she was deceived again by a man named Nelson, whom she met on social media.
Claiming to be based in Amsterdam and connected to an FBI investigation, he asked her for $2500 to assist with a case.
‘He threatened me and said, “I can’t go further with the case,” and I said, “go for your life, I have nothing…you can’t take anything away from me that anybody else hasn’t done,”’ she said.
Instead of just taking money, Nelson began sending her funds and instructing her to deposit them into Bitcoin ATMs.
‘Every time I had to go to the crypto machines…it would have been $1000 a pop, and that happened on many occasions,’ she said.
Unbeknownst to her, large amounts of money were being moved through her accounts.
Hoping to meet Nelson in person, she travelled to Amsterdam twice, only to find out that nobody by that name existed.
By the time she realised the truth, she had lost about $280,000—the entire capital gain from selling her home.
‘I was foolish enough to keep going,’ she admitted.
Running her own dog grooming business, she worked tirelessly to earn extra income, pushing herself so hard that she injured her shoulder.
‘I was doing eight or nine dogs a day, so I was earning really good cash and working myself to death…and it was going straight out the door, straight into somebody else’s bank account,’ she said.
Now homeless, she has been couch-surfing in Helena Valley while seeking a permanent place in an affordable retirement village.
Relying on Centrelink benefits, she is also in the process of applying for a disability support pension.
Consumer Protection’s WA ScamNet reported that 57 West Australians were scammed in online romance fraud cases in 2024—a decrease from 71 in 2023.
Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said the drop in numbers was encouraging but warned that vigilance remained crucial.
‘The drop in victim numbers gives us hope that people are learning to identify the red flags sooner and that friends and family are playing a role in stopping these scams before any money changes hands,’ she said.
‘However, we must remain vigilant as scammers are constantly adapting their tactics and using a wider range of channels to target their victims, including dating sites, gaming apps and social media.’
Don’t fall victim—here are more scams to avoid.
With online scams becoming increasingly sophisticated, how can people better protect themselves from falling victim to these heartbreaking schemes? Have you or someone you know encountered a similar situation?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
For one Australian woman, the search for companionship took a devastating turn, leaving her with nothing but heartbreak and an empty bank account.
What unfolded was a series of events that serve as a harsh reminder of the growing dangers lurking behind seemingly innocent digital connections.
A Perth woman searching for love online lost her entire life savings—more than $780,000—after falling victim to two separate romance scams.
Annette Ford, 57, said her ordeal began in 2018 after the breakdown of her 33-year marriage, when she joined a dating platform and met a man named William.
‘I was gullible and foolish and I thought I was in love…we’re all so desperate for love,’ she said.
Romance scam leaves Perth woman penniless. Image source: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
She explained that after decades of financial security with her husband handling their accounts, she struggled to move forward and wanted companionship.
William claimed he was working in Kuala Lumpur, and after months of online communication, he asked her for $5000, saying he had been mugged.
‘The next thing I know he’s in hospital and I’m being landed with a $5000 hospital payable to an Australian doctor,’ she said.
She covered the bill, but the requests didn’t stop—there were hotel fees, worker payments, and other expenses, all justified by William’s inability to access his funds.
Despite her suspicions, she continued to send money as he always had a convincing explanation.
‘There were many times I had huge arguments over the phone saying: “You’re scamming me, do you think I’m stupid?” but it kept going,’ she said.
William ultimately drained more than $300,000 from her accounts, including her self-managed super fund.
When she reported the fraud to the Australian Federal Police, she said she was told she should have gone directly to her local police instead.
Four years later, in 2022, she was deceived again by a man named Nelson, whom she met on social media.
Claiming to be based in Amsterdam and connected to an FBI investigation, he asked her for $2500 to assist with a case.
‘He threatened me and said, “I can’t go further with the case,” and I said, “go for your life, I have nothing…you can’t take anything away from me that anybody else hasn’t done,”’ she said.
Instead of just taking money, Nelson began sending her funds and instructing her to deposit them into Bitcoin ATMs.
‘Every time I had to go to the crypto machines…it would have been $1000 a pop, and that happened on many occasions,’ she said.
Unbeknownst to her, large amounts of money were being moved through her accounts.
Hoping to meet Nelson in person, she travelled to Amsterdam twice, only to find out that nobody by that name existed.
By the time she realised the truth, she had lost about $280,000—the entire capital gain from selling her home.
‘I was foolish enough to keep going,’ she admitted.
Running her own dog grooming business, she worked tirelessly to earn extra income, pushing herself so hard that she injured her shoulder.
‘I was doing eight or nine dogs a day, so I was earning really good cash and working myself to death…and it was going straight out the door, straight into somebody else’s bank account,’ she said.
Now homeless, she has been couch-surfing in Helena Valley while seeking a permanent place in an affordable retirement village.
Relying on Centrelink benefits, she is also in the process of applying for a disability support pension.
Consumer Protection’s WA ScamNet reported that 57 West Australians were scammed in online romance fraud cases in 2024—a decrease from 71 in 2023.
Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said the drop in numbers was encouraging but warned that vigilance remained crucial.
‘The drop in victim numbers gives us hope that people are learning to identify the red flags sooner and that friends and family are playing a role in stopping these scams before any money changes hands,’ she said.
‘However, we must remain vigilant as scammers are constantly adapting their tactics and using a wider range of channels to target their victims, including dating sites, gaming apps and social media.’
Don’t fall victim—here are more scams to avoid.
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With online scams becoming increasingly sophisticated, how can people better protect themselves from falling victim to these heartbreaking schemes? Have you or someone you know encountered a similar situation?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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