A pensioner was cheated… into a cosmonaut. A fraudster extorted money 'to return to Earth'
An online scammer tricked a senior citizen from Japan… by pretending to be a cosmonaut stuck on the ISS space station. The criminal wanted to obtain funds “to return to Earth” and promised the victim even more.
Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. As reported by local media, a 65-year-old woman from Japan allowed herself to be wrapped around the finger of an online fraudster. He pretended to be… a Russian cosmonaut, currently staying at the International Space Stadium. And this is just the beginning of his hit story.
Senior woman from Japan cheated on 'Russian cosmonaut'
Seniors from many countries know the “grandson” and “cop” scams, but the “cosmonaut” scam was so exotic that it apparently worked. The scammer found his victim on Instagram and quickly started telling him his story.
He pretended to be a cosmonaut of Russian origin who contacted a woman asking for help. He explained the interruptions in communication by the fact that in space… there is poor GSM coverage. Then he quickly admitted that he had more feelings for the victim.
The “cosmonaut” scammer scammed people out of millions of yen
“Even if I say it a thousand times, it won't be enough. But I will still say – I love you. I want to start a new life with you in Japan,” he wrote to the woman on the Japanese LINE messenger.
There is only one problem, the poor guy had no money to return to Earth. He told his girlfriend that she had to pay for the cost of the rocket and additional costs of landing in Japan.
This is all nonsense, of course, aimed at extorting money from the senior citizen. In total, the fraudster took the woman 4.4 million yen, or nearly 150,000. zlotys. He made five transfers in just under a month. During the next request, the woman doubted the sincere intentions of the “cosmonaut” and notified the services.
Interestingly, it seems that scammers are using the story once again. Earlier, a similar case became famous in which an approximately 40-year-old woman was also approached on Instagram by a person pretending to be a cosmonaut from Russia. However, when the criminal suggested changing the chat application, the woman became suspicious and reported the matter.
