There is this popular quote that goes, Love knows no boundaries, but it looks like even planetary ones.
Meet this 65-year-old Japanese woman who fell in love with this victim of an international romance scam concocted by a person asserting to be a Russian astronaut in requirement of funds to return to Earth, according to the local police.
Japan’s Shiga Prefectural Police asserted the victim from Higashiomi City transferred to the scammer a sum of about 4.4 million yen (about $41,340) over a few months. The Japanese television network TV Asahi informed that the scammer’s information showed quite a several pictures captured from space.
Kyodo News, a Tokyo relied on news agency, informed that the pair also had a conversation via a messaging application named Line. There, the scammer asserted that he was in love with the victim and desired to go back to Earth and tie the knot with her. But there was one suspicion: the scammer asserted he was required to pay out-of-pocket for many elements of his return journey, taking into consideration a rocket and including its “landing fees,” Kyodo News said.
The scammer informed the woman he loved her and desired to initiate a new life with her in the country Japan, but this could only take place after purchasing the rocket to fly to the country, he asserted. The woman collected and transferred the “astronaut” continuous money transactions to a designated bank account.
It was when the scammer kept on insisting to she send more money, she started growing suspicious and informed the police. While these Online romance scams — although they most often disguise as astronauts — have increased in popularity in these years.
Back in 2021, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 1,249 complaints of romance scams from about 925 Canadian victims. The stated Canadian loss was a mind-boggling $50 million, the second highest sum of fraud-associated dollar loss that year.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police motivated social media users to have a suspicious outlook and keep their senses on while dealing with these scam messages from unknown persons. The organization suggests making a thorough internet search of a person’s identity. They also said that if a person has “fallen in love fast” or demands money, it should be looked at as a red flag.
