On "Planet" Japan, 🏯a con artist tricked an 80-year-old woman and robbed her after she fell in love with him.😔

An elderly Japanese woman in her 80s was deceived by a romance scammer posing as an astronaut in distress. She first connected with the fraudster via social media in July. The scammer, claiming to be aboard a spaceship, told her he was “in space,” “under attack,” and urgently in need of oxygen. Over time, trust blossomed, and she began to develop romantic feelings for him. Eventually, persuaded by his fabricated plight, she transferred approximately \¥1 million (around $6,700) from her savings to help him procure oxygen.

The case underscores the vulnerability of older individuals to online deception and highlights the alarming sophistication of romance scams. Authorities in Hokkaido have warned the public to remain vigilant—especially the elderly or those seeking companionship online—against anyone they meet who begins to ask for money.

They emphasized that emotional manipulation is often used to exploit loneliness and trust. Similar scams are on the rise globally, with experts reporting dramatic increases in elder-targeted fraud and romance-based financial exploitation.

Source News :Time of India, Published on Spetember 3,2025