A man claiming to be a Russian astronaut in space scammed a 65-year old Japanese woman into paying him for his ‘return trip’ to Earth and promising to marry her once he landed.
The man found the woman in June on Instagram, where he uploaded random photos of space and claimed he worked at the International Space Station, and said astronauts have limited access to mobile services.
The conversations then continued on popular Japanese messaging application, LINE, a Japanese news outlet reported.
The ‘Russian astronaut’ told the victim that he would marry her but first needed the money for landing fees to return to Earth that he had to pay once he landed in Japan, and also, the cost of a rocket needed to fly to Japan.
The woman paid him over 4.4 million yen (around $30,000) in five instalments from August to September, a Japanese newspaper reported.
The woman eventually reported him to the police after rising suspicion, who are now investigating the case.
The news comes as the number of instances of fraud have continued to rise in Japan increasing 67 percent in 2021, since 2012.
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