A 65-year-old Japanese woman fell victim to an international romance scam concocted by someone claiming to be a Russian astronaut in need of funds to return to Earth,
Global News reported.
Japan’s Shiga Prefectural Police claimed the victim from Higashiomi City sent the scammer around 4.4 million yen (about $41,340) over the span of several months.
The pair met on Instagram in June when the faux astronaut sent the woman a message and claimed to be working at the International Space Station, police said.
The Japanese television network
TV Asahi claimed the scammer’s profile included several photos taken from space.
Kyodo News, a Tokyo-based news agency, reported the pair also communicated through a messaging app called Line. There, the scammer claimed he was in love with the victim and wanted to return to Earth to marry her.
But there was one catch: the scammer claimed he needed to pay out-of-pocket for several elements of his return journey, including a rocket and its “landing fees,”
Kyodo News reported.
The scammer told the woman he loved her and wanted to start a new life with her in Japan, but this could only happen after buying the rocket to fly to the country, he claimed.
The woman complied and sent the “astronaut” repeated monetary transactions to a specified bank account.
When the scammer continued to insist that she send more money, the victim became suspicious and alerted the police.
