It doesn’t matter how old, or how smart you are. Anyone can fall for a scam, just maybe not THIS scam.
A woman in Japan who’s in her 80s just fell for one of the sillier “romance scams” we’ve seen. (And that’s saying something.)
Back in July, she started talking to a guy on social media who claimed he was an ASTRONAUT, so, maybe a red flag. (???) But she kept talking to him and developed feelings.
He finally dropped the hammer one day and claimed he was in trouble. And here’s the story he went with: He said he was “in space on a spaceship”, was “under ATTACK” on his ship, and needed oxygen. (???)
He asked if she’d float him enough cash to buy more O2, and she agreed. She sent him a million yen, or around $6,700.
Officials in Japan shared the story and said to be suspicious if someone you met online ever asks for money. Especially if they’re texting from outer space.
This isn’t actually the first astronaut scam we’ve seen. Back in 2022, a 65-year-old woman, also from Japan, got scammed out of $30,000 by someone claiming to be a Russian cosmonaut. He said he needed the money so he could fly back to Earth and marry her.
(CBS News)
