News
news
Share
Woman scammed by man posing as stranded astronaut claiming he needed money to buy oxygen
Published 17:13 3 Sept 2025 BST
Updated 15:55 4 Sept 2025 BST
Homenews
The victim was told the fake astronaut's spaceship was 'under attack'.
A woman has been scammed by a man posing as a stranded astronaut claiming he needed money to buy oxygen.
The 80-year-old Japanese woman sent money to an online fraudster who convinced her that he was stranded on a spaceship and needed to buy oxygen.
They met on social media earlier this year in what police have described as a romance scam.
The scammer had told the woman early in their relationship that he was an astronaut, eventually telling her he was 'in space on a spaceship right now' and was 'under attack and in need of oxygen.'
Police in Hokkaido said the victim was then persuaded to transfer him around one million yen (£5,000).
Officers have warned people of fraudsters using romance as a scam, preying on those seeking love.
They warned people to be suspicious if they are asked for money from people they meet online.
Sky News went undercover last October in a scam centre in Cambodia, reporting on how an industry of fraud factories has spread across southeast Asia.
Most Viewed in news
