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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePerth woman Annette Ford told PerthNow she lost more than $780,000 in two online romance scams that began on different platforms several years apart. Her reported account describes one scammer asking for money through a succession of emergencies and another asking her to deposit money at Bitcoin ATMs. A 2025 Western Australian Consumer Protection release described an unnamed woman with a similar loss across two romance scams, but did not name Ford; the newspaper account is the source for the details attributed to her below.
What Annette Ford reported
In a report published on 12 February 2025, PerthNow described Ford as 57 and living in Perth. She told the newspaper that after losing her savings, she was couch-surfing in Helena Valley, relying on Centrelink benefits and seeking affordable permanent housing. Those are circumstances reported at the time of publication, not an update on her situation today.
Ford’s account was that the losses came through two separate online relationships, beginning in 2018 and 2022. The amounts and events below are her account as reported by PerthNow, not findings in a court judgment in the sources cited here.
How the two reported scams worked
| Episode | First contact | Claimed reason for money | Reported mechanism | Amount attributed by Ford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Plenty of Fish, 2018 | A man using the name William said he had been mugged in Kuala Lumpur; later requests involved a hospital bill, hotel costs and paying workers. | Repeated requests for money over months; Ford said the losses drained her self-managed super fund. | More than $300,000 |
| Second | Facebook, 2022 | A man using the name Nelson said he lived in Amsterdam and had a friend connected to the FBI. He initially asked for $2,500 to help with an investigation. | Ford said he sent her money and asked her to deposit it at Bitcoin ATMs. She also said she travelled to Amsterdam twice but did not meet him. | About $280,000, including proceeds from selling her house |
PerthNow reported that Ford said the first relationship began after the end of her 33-year marriage. She said she and William spoke online for months before he asked for money, then supplied further explanations for subsequent requests. “He always had a back-up plan, he always had an answer,” she told the newspaper.
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In the second episode, the request to deposit money at Bitcoin ATMs involved cryptocurrency and the movement of funds through Ford’s account, according to her account. The Western Australian government’s 2025 release separately described an unnamed WA woman who lost around $780,000 over five years, including house-sale proceeds and superannuation, and made two trips to the Netherlands believing she was paying for a scammer’s release from prison. That release corroborates a similar reported loss pattern in WA but does not identify the woman as Ford or independently verify the newspaper’s account of either episode.
What the reported figures say about romance scams
Ford’s case was reported amid substantial scam losses, but the statistics use different geographic scopes and reporting systems:
- Western Australia, 2024: Consumer Protection reported 57 consumers and more than $4.981 million in dating and romance scam losses. It said losses were 34.6% higher than the $3.7 million reported in 2023. The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s 2024 WA ScamNet Year in Review lists $4,981,331 and 57 victims for the category, labelling the figures as victims and reports.
- Australia, 2024: The ACCC and National Anti-Scam Centre said Scamwatch received reports of $23.6 million in dating and romance scam losses nationally. This is a separate national figure, not an addition to or substitute for the WA total.
These totals reflect reports received by the relevant services, not every scam or every loss. Consumer Protection Commissioner Trish Blake said the 2024 WA figures included an average loss of over $87,000 and one case of nearly $800,000, describing the consequences as potentially financially crippling.
How to reduce the risk of a romance scam
Scammers can build trust over time and use dating sites, gaming apps and social media. A person’s voice or appearance on a call is not conclusive proof of identity: Consumer Protection warns that deepfake technology can create realistic impersonations. Practical checks can make it harder for a stranger to exploit trust or personal information:
- Research the person and their social profiles, check whether their connections look credible, and reverse-search profile photos.
- Keep personal details limited. Do not share identity or financial documents, intimate images or account credentials.
- Be wary if someone quickly professes love, repeatedly avoids meeting in person, or gives changing reasons for urgent financial help.
- Do not send money or cryptocurrency to someone you have met online, including funds requested for an emergency, an investment, a fee or a supposed investigation.
- Do not let a person you met online use your bank account to receive or move money, or ask you to convert it into cryptocurrency or deposit it at a Bitcoin ATM.
Consumer Protection advises meeting in person before taking an online relationship further, while cautioning that video calls and phone conversations cannot always be trusted as identity checks. The ACCC’s advice is to be especially cautious when someone avoids meeting or asks for money or cryptocurrency.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if you have already sent money
- Contact your bank immediately. Explain the transfer or unusual account activity and ask whether it can be stopped, recalled or otherwise secured. Speed matters, but recovery is not guaranteed.
- Keep evidence. Save screenshots of messages, profiles, phone numbers, payment details and transaction records before blocking the person. Do not delete conversations that could help a bank or investigator.
- Report the matter. Report suspected scams to Scamwatch and report cybercrime to police through cyber.gov.au. You can also report the profile to the platform where the contact began.
- Get identity and personal support if needed. Contact IDCARE if personal information or identity documents may be compromised. Lifeline and Beyond Blue are named by the ACCC/National Anti-Scam Centre as support options for people affected emotionally.
Ford told PerthNow she reported the first matter to the AFP. The sources cited here do not establish what happened afterward; they do not establish an investigation outcome, charges or a court result.
Quick Recap
Sources
- PerthNow, Jessica Evensen, 12 February 2025 — Ford’s reported account and circumstances described at publication.
- Western Australian Consumer Protection, 2025 release — WA romance-scam figures, prevention guidance and an unnamed woman’s reported losses.
- Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, 2024 WA ScamNet Year in Review — WA ScamNet category figures.
- ACCC/National Anti-Scam Centre, 31 January 2025 — national Scamwatch loss figure and response advice.
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