Woman Scammed by ‘Russian Astronaut’ Who Claimed to Need Money to Return to Earth
The man claimed he needed money to pay landing fees once on Earth and a rocket to actually fly home, local media reported.
www.vice.com
A man claiming to be a Russian astronaut in space allegedly scammed a Japanese woman into paying for his return trip to Earth, vowing to marry her once he landed.
The man found the 65-year-old unnamed victim on Instagram in June. On his profile, he uploaded random photos of space and said he worked at the International Space Station, where astronauts have limited access to cell service.
Their relationship quickly escalated. On LINE, a Japanese messaging app, he repeatedly said he loved her and proposed marriage. He sent her messages like “I want to start my life in Japan” and “Saying this 1,000 times won’t be enough, but I’ll keep saying it. I love you,” news outlet TV Asahi reported.
But to actually tie the knot, he said, he needed money to return to Earth. There were landing fees to pay once in Japan and the cost of a rocket to actually fly to the country, he said.
Believing this man would be her future fiancé, the woman paid him about 4.4 million yen (about $30,000) in five installments, from August 19 to September 5, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
But when his demands continued, the woman grew suspicious of his intent and reported him to the police, who are investigating the case as a romance scam, local media reported.
