Overview

• An 80-year-old woman in Hokkaido met the scammer on social media in July after he introduced himself as an astronaut.
• He claimed he was in space, under attack, and running out of oxygen, then requested money to buy supplies.
• The victim sent about ¥1,000,000—roughly $6,700 or £5,000—via prepaid electronic payments at five convenience stores between mid-July and late August.
• Investigators say the woman, who lives alone, developed romantic feelings during weeks of messaging before reporting the loss.
• Police in Sapporo’s Teine district opened an investigation and issued public warnings, as the National Police Agency logged 3,326 romance-scam reports in the first 11 months of 2024.