Police in Japan have reported that an 80-year-old woman lost nearly one million yen (about £5,000) after falling victim to a bizarre romance scam involving a man who posed as an astronaut stranded in space.
According to Hokkaido authorities, the woman began communicating with the scammer on social media in July. The fraudster gradually built an online relationship, claiming he was an astronaut currently on a spaceship.
The suspect allegedly told the victim that his spacecraft was “under attack” and that he desperately needed oxygen to survive. He then persuaded her to transfer money to help fund his supposed survival.
Investigators revealed that the elderly woman, who lives alone on Japan’s northern Hokkaido island, sent the equivalent of one million yen before realizing she had been deceived.
Police believe the case is part of a wider romance fraud trend, where criminals exploit vulnerable individuals by creating emotional connections under false identities.
Authorities have urged the public to remain alert and skeptical of online contacts requesting money, regardless of how convincing their stories may seem.
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