Fake love: How an Ontario grandmother fell victim to an online romance scam — twice

Inside the Village - A weekly podcast featuring newsmakers in Ontario

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On the latest episode of Inside the Village, Scott and Frisco dig into a scary story that continues to generate headlines. Suzana Thayer, a grandmother of six from Barrie, Ont., has been languishing in an overseas prison for seven months, accused of smuggling cocaine into Hong Kong. But as her daughter explains in this week’s podcast, it’s clear that Suzana is the victim of a sophisticated online romance scam — for the second time in her life. Fighting to prove her mom’s innocence, Angela Thayer says a man lured her mother to Ethiopia, had a suitcase full of clothes delivered to her hotel room, and booked her a ticket for Hong Kong. When she landed, customs agents discovered cocaine inside some of the buttons of the clothing. Thayer is speaking out because she wants to warn others about the dangers of online romance scams.