GENERAL NEWS

Email address used in $1.5m scam of deceased American woman linked to Ghana

Authorities in the United States (US) have traced an email address used to scam a 57-year-old American woman, Laura Kowal, to Ghana.

Laura Kowal, a widow who lived in Illinois State drowned to death miles from her home in 2020.

She fell prey to the $1.5 million scam which was reportedly orchestrated by a man she met on a dating app, Match.com, cbsnews.com reports.

The victim had since 2018 been dating the scammer who was using the name Frank Borg on Match.com and was using photos and the email address (which is now being linked to Ghana) of a Chilean doctor.

The daughter of the late Kowal, Kelly Gowe, got to know that her mother was in trouble when officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) called to inform her she had been a victim of a romance scam.

Kelly Gowe told CBS News that she realised her mum was missing after the call from the federal authorities and in her attempt to find her, she found records that show that she had wired $1.5 million to the scammer.

She added that in addition to the records of the money, she found a haunting note which read: “I’ve been living a double life this past year. It has left me broke and broken. Yes, it involves Frank, the man I met through online dating. I tried to stop this, many times, but I knew I would end up dead”.

After her daughter’s discovery, Kowal’s body was found near Canton, Missouri, and her car five miles from her mortal remains.

Even though the autopsy of the victim indicated that she died by drowning, her daughter insists that she was killed by the scammer.

“It’s the scammers, It’s the criminals behind those emails. It’s Frank Borg… this character. He killed my mom.

“And everyone that is involved in this scam in any capacity, that’s moving the money, that’s placing a phone call, that’s hitting ‘enter’ and ‘send’ on an email – they’re all responsible for my mom’s death,” Gowe said.

Read the full story published on April 23, 2024, by cbsnews.com

 

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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