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Perth resident Annette Ford, 57, has been forced into homelessness after losing over Rs 4.3 crore ($780,000) to online scammers. Ford, who is now couch-surfing, was targeted in two separate scams over four years and hopes to find affordable housing in a retirement village, a report said. Following the end of her 33-year marriage in 2018, Ford joined the dating site "Plenty of Fish". There, she connected with a man named 'William' who, over several months, gained her trust before asking for money. 'William' claimed he needed Rs 2,75,000 ($5000) because his wallet was stolen in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a report in said. "He said he had been mugged outside the site he was working on (in Kuala Lumpur) and they took his wallet and his cards," said Ms Ford, according to the report. He then allegedly manipulated Ford into paying a $5000 hospital bill and other expenses as well. "The next thing I know he's in hospital and I'm being landed with a $5000 hospital payable to an Australian doctor. I (paid) that. Then there was a hotel bill, and he said he couldn't pay the workers on the site because he didn't have access to his cards", she said. In total, Ford lost Rs 1.6 crore ($300,000) right in front of her eyes from her self-managed super fund to this scam. Despite reporting the incident to the Australian Federal Police, she received no response, the report mentioned. The Second Scam Her troubles did not end there as four years later, Ford fell victim to another scam on Facebook involving a person named 'Nelson'. This individual claimed to live in Amsterdam and said that an FBI friend needed $2500 for an investigation. Although initially hesitant, Ford was persuaded to deposit money that 'Nelson' sent her into a Bitcoin ATM. The report mentioned that she then noticed unauthorised transactions and ultimately lost Rs 1.5 crore ($280,000) to one more scam. After losing a staggering amount of money to two scams, Ford now isn’t just a victim but a voice of caution. The report added that she is now urging Australians to be cautious of online scams, noting that “they (scammers) say all the right things, they sweep you off your feet but they're going to take your money and they're going to leave you broke". Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from World and around the world.
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