An 80-year-old lady in Japan despatched cash to an internet fraudster who advised her he was an astronaut stranded on a spaceship – and wanted the money to purchase oxygen.
The pair first met on social media in July in what police described as a romance rip-off.
The scammer advised the sufferer, who lives in Japan’s northern Hokkaido island, he was an astronaut they usually continued to develop their on-line relationship.
The fraudster finally advised her he was “in space on a spaceship right now” and was “under attack and in need of oxygen”.
Police in Hokkaido stated the sufferer, who lives alone, was then persuaded to switch round a million yen (£5,000).
Officers imagine the alternate was a part of a romance rip-off, when fraudsters make the most of folks in search of love.
They warned folks must be suspicious if requested for cash from somebody they met on-line.
1000’s of staff are taught to steal the hearts and cash of thousands and thousands of victims worldwide – and attempt to make people fall for his or her schemes which vary from pretend romances to on-line playing.
