In a heartbreaking tale of trust and betrayal, 57-year-old Annette Ford from Perth has lost her life savings of over ₹4.3 crore ($780,000) to online scams, leaving her homeless and struggling to rebuild her life.

Ford, who turned to online dating after her 33-year marriage ended, was first deceived in 2018 by a scammer named 'William' on the dating site Plenty of Fish. Posing as a desperate victim of theft in Malaysia, he manipulated Ford into sending him money for alleged medical expenses, accommodation, and wages for workers. By the time she realized the deception, she had already lost ₹1.6 crore ($300,000).

Tragically, history repeated itself four years later when Ford fell for another scam on Facebook. A man named 'Nelson' convinced her to deposit money into a Bitcoin ATM for a fabricated FBI investigation. Soon after, unauthorized transactions drained another ₹1.5 crore ($280,000) from her account.

Now left penniless, Ford warns others about the dangers of online scams. “They say all the right things, but they'll take everything and leave you with nothing,” she cautioned.

Her story serves as a chilling reminder of the devastating consequences of online fraud.