Australians dating online have been warned to check their sweetheart is actually real after a Melbourne man left his $2million estate to a lover who never existed.

William Ian Southey died aged 73 on October 11, 2022, leaving a will that named his online 'partner', Kyle Stuart Jackson, as executor.

Mr Southey turned to online relationships after the death of his partner of four decades, linking up with Jackson in early 2022, and had intended to marry him.

But in December, the Victorian Supreme Court concluded Jackson did not exist.

The legal decision followed an application by Mr Southey's ex-wife Kaye Moseley for a court to decide if Jackson existed after solicitors could not verify his identity.

'I am satisfied that the person named [in the will] as Kyle Stuart Jackson does not exist in the manner understood by the deceased, or at all,' Associate Judge Caroline Anne Goulden found in December.

KHQ Lawyers' Rachael Hocking, who represented Ms Moseley, Mr Southey's wife between 1976 and 1989, told the Daily Mail the case serves as a dire warning to many.

'These issues pop up time and time again, but I am very concerned that we'll see lots more now, particularly with online relationships,' she said.

Melbourne man William Ian Southey (pictured with his ex-wife Kaye Moseley) died at 73 years old on October 11, 2022, leaving a will that named his 'partner' Kyle Stuart Jackson as executor

While following the probate process, his ex-wife Kaye Moseley (pictured) discovered that Jackson did not exist - which was confirmed by Victoria's Supreme Court in December

'We see a lot in financial scams; people with vulnerabilities or disabilities transferring money overseas. 

'But now, this case has shown that it's actually even progressed to being nominated as a potential beneficiary under a will as well.

'The only method of communication was online, so (Jackson and Mr Southey) had never met. It was wholly online, which obviously causes some difficulties.'

Judge Goulden's findings revealed Jackson was not only the nominated executor of the will, but also sole beneficiary of the estate - which included Mr Southey's home in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, which was sold for $2.5 million.

'We couldn't identify him so we couldn't have him involved in the administration process, and we couldn't have the estate distributed to him either,' Ms Hocking said.

From Mr Southey's death in 2022 up to 2024, solicitors tried to verify Jackson's identity via phone calls, emails, attempted Zoom video calls and through a passport that a private detective confirmed was fraudulent.