Mr Omokoh, who would report to being the last person to see
her alive, vanished after speaking to police.
One of Ms Jacobs' six children, who did not want to be
identified, told 6PR radio in Perth on Monday her mother had been to South
Africa four times, initially to meet another man.
"She wasn't naive when it came to other countries, we
lived in Malaysia for many years," she said.
When the woman's brother received a phone call from a South
African guest house, the siblings who had warned their mother against what they
believed was a scam relationship, were in disbelief.
"I thought it was a hoax and I wouldn't believe that my
mother had actually passed so I rang the consulate," the woman said.
"A couple of hours later they called me back and gave me
their apologies."
A joint operation between WA Police and Consumer Protection,
codenamed Project Sunbird, had sent Ms Jacobs a letter warning that she may be
the victim of fraud, but it was too late.
By the time the letter arrived in Ms Jacobs' mailbox she had
already left for her ill-fated trip.
When her children met with detectives in South Africa, they
discovered her money, jewellery, laptop and credit cards were all missing.
And then there was an empty pill bottle found near her.
"Anybody who knew my mother would know that there is no
way that she would do that," her daughter told 6PR.
"This has gone on for four years and after four years
there is a very strong element of trust that has been built."
One of Ms Jacobs' sons warned others not to head overseas to
meet people they've met online. "It
could be a one-way ticket," he said.
Major fraud squad detective Dom Blackshaw said WA Police were
now involved in the investigation and treating the death as
"suspicious".
"These relationship frauds are being perpetrated by
ruthless overseas criminals who are members of organised crime
syndicates," he said.
"To travel to Africa to visit someone you have met on the
internet is extremely dangerous and could, as in the case of Ms Jacobs, cost
your life.
No comments:
Post a Comment