Police in Japan are investigating a notable scam. A scammer convinced a Japanese woman that she was an astronaut who needed money to return to Earth. The woman fell in love with him and she paid almost 31,000 euros.
According to Japanese media the 65-year-old woman fell in love with the so-called Russian astronaut. They contacted each other via Instagram and spoke to each other via the Line app. According to him, the fact that the “astronaut” was not always able to respond quickly was due to poor reception in space.
The woman said she believed in his story because he was able to show all kinds of photos of the Earth and the ISS where he would be staying. She got really excited when she told me that she was really in love with her. “Even if I tell you 1000 times it’s not enough, I love you,” said the scammer Asahi TV they said.
He said he wanted to marry the woman. But first there was a problem, the man didn’t have enough money to pay for a flight back to Earth. The woman then transferred nearly € 31,000 in five installments.
With that money, the astronaut could pay for the rocket and landing fees. When the scammer asked for even more money, the woman became suspicious. She went to the police station and filed a complaint. Japanese police are investigating the case as dating fraud, according to local media.
