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Scammers on Earth are getting bold — some are now reaching for the stars. Literally. An 80-year-old woman in Japan has been duped into sending nearly 1 million yen ($6,700) to a man who claimed he was an astronaut stranded in space and running out of oxygen.
Yes, you read that right.
The elderly woman, who lives alone on Hokkaido island, struck up an online chat in July with a supposed space traveller. Over time, she warmed up to him — after all, who wouldn’t feel special being chosen by a lonely astronaut orbiting Earth?
But then came his desperate plea: he was “in space on a spaceship right now,” under attack, and needed money to buy oxygen. Instead of NASA, JAXA, or Houston, he turned to her wallet for help. And she obliged — sending the money via prepaid systems at five different stores between July and August.
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According to Hokkaido Broadcasting, she only came clean to her family after her rocket-fuelled romance started to feel a little… weightless. When they got the police involved, the verdict was quick: classic romance scam. And sadly, her money is unlikely to ever come back down to Earth.
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Police issued a warning: “If a person you met on social media ever demanded cash from you, please be suspicious of the possibility of a scam, and report to the police.”
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Bizarrely, this wasn’t Japan’s first encounter with a “cosmic con.” In 2022, another elderly woman lost $30,000 to a scammer claiming to be an astronaut who needed help making it back to Earth.
Lesson of the day? If someone claims they’re texting you from outer space and asks for money to buy oxygen, don’t blast your savings into their account. Space may be infinite, but your bank balance is not.