In one woman's mysterious drowning, signs of a national romance scam epidemic

By Jim Axelrod, Sheena Samu, Andy Bast, Matthew Mosk, Sari Aviv

Updated on: April 21, 2024 / 11:19 AM EDT / CBS News

The scammer who drained Laura Kowal of her $1.5 million nest egg and sent the widowed healthcare executive on a path that ended with her death in the Mississippi River, hundreds of miles from her western Illinois home, called himself "Frank Borg."

Frank drew Laura into a relationship after she connected to his profile on the popular dating website Match.com. Over months of giddy cellphone calls and in hundreds of florid emails, Frank manipulated her by drawing on publicly-posted details of her life to forge a bond, then induced her to invest with his online trading firm. As her skepticism grew and love waned, he strong-armed her into helping him dip his hands into the accounts of other victims.

"She had all these buckets full in her life, my mom did," said Kelly Gowe, Laura's daughter. "But there was this one bucket that was missing… and that was companionship. ... And that's ultimately where we're at now, is because of that."

Drowned widow was scammed out of $1.5M in Match.com hoax, left note about secret ‘double life’

By Social Links forIsabel Keane
Published April 23, 2024, 11:16 a.m. ET

An Illinois widow found dead hundreds of miles from home had been scammed out of $1.5 million by someone she met on a dating app — and had penned a chilling note predicting she “would end up dead” because of her secret “double life,” according to her family.

Laura Kowal, 57, had a nearly two-year online relationship with someone she assumed was a handsome Swedish businessman named “Frank Borg” whom she met on Match.com after she lost her husband of 24 years to cancer, her daughter, Kelly Gowe, told CBS News.

Gowe then got an alarming message from a federal investigator on Aug. 7, 2020, warning that her mom was feared to be the victim “in a fraud scam” — after which the widow vanished.

Laura A. Kowal was born August 29, 1962, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Richard and Mary Constance (nee Anderson) Broulik.

She died August 9, 2020, in Lewis County, Missouri.

Laura was a 1985 graduate of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a B.A. in Business Administration.

Laura had a very successful career in the healthcare industry having management and director roles with Unity Point in Dubuque, Iowa, Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois, and Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Laura retired from her healthcare career in 2016 to spend time fully enjoying her property in Galena, tending to her beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, participating in local golf leagues, volunteering through therapy dog work with her beloved golden doodle "Effie" at the Elizabeth Nursing Home in Elizabeth, Illinois, working part time at River Bend Gallery and Carlotta's in downtown Galena, and enjoying time with family and friends – both locally in Galena and traveling to visit those afar.

Laura will be remembered for her contagious smile and laugh, loving heart and constant willingness to help and support others.

Laura is survived by her daughter, Kelly Kowal; her siblings, William (Barb) Broulik, Dale (Brenda) Broulik, Susan (Daryl) Spivey, Mark Broulik, Stephen (Brenda) Broulik and Wesley (Mandy) Broulik; her mother-in-law Marjorie Kowal; her sisters-in-law, Peggy (Doug) Fisher, Mary Kay (Mick) Callaghan, Carol (Dale) Costantino and Nancy Mikeworth (Jack Springmire); and by many nieces and nephews.

Laura is preceded in death by her husband, William Kowal; her father, Richard Broulik; her mother Mary Constance (nee Anderson) Broulik; and her father-in-law, Richard Kowal.

Family and friends are invited to gather and honor Laura's life from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2020, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon, Iowa.
Face masks and social distancing will be required.

Private graveside Catholic services will be held at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mechanicsville, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Laura Kowal Memorial Fund, in care of Illinois Bank & Trust, 971 Gear Street, Galena, Illinois 61036.

Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services - Mount Vernon

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 30 2024, 0:14:10 UTC