Elderly Japanese Woman Duped by Fake Astronaut Romance

A Japanese octogenarian was defrauded of thousands of dollars after falling in love online with a man claiming to be an astronaut who asked for her help to resolve a spaceship emergency, police reported Tuesday.

The woman, residing on Hokkaido island in northern Japan, met the fraudster in July through social media.

A local police officer described the case as a “romance scam.”

After exchanging messages for some time, the scammer told her he was “currently in space on a spaceship” but “under attack and running out of oxygen,” according to the official.

He then asked her to transfer money online to help him purchase oxygen, successfully tricking her into sending roughly 1 million yen ($6,700).

Living alone, the woman reportedly developed romantic feelings for the man as their online conversations continued, local media including Hokkaido Broadcasting reported, citing investigative sources.

“If anyone you meet online ever requests money, be cautious of possible scams and report the matter to the police,” the official warned.

Japan has the world's second-oldest population after tiny Monaco, according to the World Bank, and older people frequently fall prey to various forms of organised fraud.

These include the classic "it's me" scam, where perpetrators impersonate family members in trouble to extract money from the victim.

Elderly people can also be cajoled into using ATMs to get non-existent "refunds" of their insurance premiums or pensions, police have warned.