A woman in Japan has lost more than $6,000 after falling victim to a bizarre romance scam involving a fake astronaut.
According to Hokkaidō Broadcasting, police in Sapporo say the 80-year-old woman first connected with the man in July through social media. He introduced himself as an astronaut and, after weeks of chatting, told her he was “under attack” in space and running out of oxygen.
The scammer convinced her to send electronic payments through convenience stores in the city, eventually costing her around one million yen, or roughly $6,700 USD. The woman, who lives alone, only reported the situation to her family and later the police after realizing she had been scammed.
Houston: we have a romance scammer
Police told HBC the scammer specifically claimed he was in orbit and needed help to purchase oxygen supplies. The woman was asked to transfer money through prepaid systems at five different stores between mid-July and the end of August. Investigators say she was targeted emotionally, with the man cultivating trust by exchanging frequent messages.
The victim reportedly developed romantic feeling for the ‘astronaut” as they continued chatting, which led to his requests for money escalating. CBS News, citing AFP, added that the scammer described himself as “in space on a spaceship right now” and claimed he was in crisis.
Police in Sapporo’s Teine district are now treating the case as a romance scam and have warned residents to be cautious of similar social media encounters.
