Phone call that cost 65-year-old Queensland woman $400,000

It started innocently, with a phone call from a man who said all the right things – but now Jennifer is “destroyed” and $400k poorer.

A woman has been left “destroyed” and “destitute” after she was scammed out of more than $400,000 by a man she’s never met online.

Jennifer*, based in Queensland, first contacted John on a dating website two years ago and they fell in love after talking on the phone over a number of weeks.

“I joined to find friendship and a relationship. That was it. I knew nothing about the scamming that was happening,” she told 7 NEWS.

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A 65-year-old woman has been scammed after meeting a man online. Pictured: 7 News

The 65-year-old woman said John, who claimed he was based in Perth, proposed to her and they started planning their life together.

But the relationship turned sour when Jennifer was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and John started asking for money.

Despite promises he’d “take care of her”, John transferred Jennifer funds from a third person so she could purchase cryptocurrency for him.

The 65-year-old was also unable to maintain her property and sold it, using the funds to help John pay for compensation after a workplace accident.

“He was wanting more money … I said ‘I can’t help you, you’ve taken every cent that I’ve got’,” she said.

John’s financial demands continued, as he organised two women to send Jennifer additional money buy more cryptocurrency for him.

But Jennifer found the strangers on Facebook, realised they were also being scammed and told them to immediately stop sending money.

The Queensland woman was scammed more than $400,000. Pictured: iStock

After confronting John, Jennifer said he ended all contact and has left her “more of less destitute”.

“What he’s done has just destroyed me, destroyed me financially. Destroyed me emotionally,” she said.

For anyone attempting to fine love online, Jennifer has a grave warning to avoid falling into the same trap.

“If they start asking for money or asking for gift cards, it’s a scam, it’s a deadset scam,” she said.

Australians have lost more than $56 million to romance scams via dating apps last year.

Originally published as Phone call that cost 65-year-old Queensland woman $400,000