An 80-year-old Japanese woman has reportedly fallen victim to a romance scam, losing a staggering £5,000 to a fraudster who pretended to be an astronaut stranded in space and in urgent need of financial assistance.
The shocking story was shared on Instablog’s official X account, where it was revealed that the elderly woman had connected with the scammer through social media sometime in July 2025. What initially started as casual online communication gradually evolved into a supposed romantic relationship, with the con artist exploiting her trust and emotions to carry out his deceitful plan.
During their interactions, the man falsely claimed he was a professional astronaut who had been stationed in space for an extended mission. To make his story more convincing, he alleged that he urgently required oxygen supplies to stay alive but was unable to access funds due to restrictions related to his “mission.” Playing on her sympathy and goodwill, he managed to manipulate her into transferring £5,000 as “emergency assistance.”
Unfortunately, it was only after the money had been sent that suspicions began to rise, leading to the realization that the woman had been conned by an imposter. This incident has sparked widespread online debate, with many netizens expressing shock at the extent to which scammers go in fabricating stories to deceive unsuspecting victims.
Check out some reactions below…
Mohammed Murtala remarked, “Off course he’s stranded in Nigeria 😀😂”.
Omachile Achalla stated, “Certainly he will still be stranded in life someday. Don’t cun someone who steps in to assist you”.
Emeka Issac stated, “Some people nor dey think”.
Joe Vie inquired, “What 😂 kind of low level of thinking is that?”.
The bizarre case has since gone viral, with many urging elderly individuals and internet users at large to remain cautious about online relationships, particularly when requests for money or urgent financial aid are involved.
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