Cyber Fraud: An Elderly woman was cheated in a 'romance scam', the scammer said he had to buy oxygen, I am stuck in space

Cyber Fraud: An 80-year-old woman in Hokkaido, Japan became a victim of online romance scam. A fraudster, claiming to be an astronaut, said that he is stuck in a spaceship and needs money to buy oxygen. The woman cheated for more than Rs 5 lakh.

Cyber Fraud: Stories of cheating by trapping in 'love trap' are often heard. But you have hardly heard of the incident that we are going to mention before. An elderly woman from Japan was duped of lakhs of rupees by her so-called 'astronaut lover'. The fraudster made the excuse that he is currently stuck in space and his oxygen is running out.

According to a CBS News report, the victim is about 80 years old and lives in Hokkaido, the northern region of Japan. She was cheated on social media by a person who described himself as an "astronaut". The fraudster lied to the woman that he was currently in the spaceship and his oxygen was about to finish.

How did the fraud happen?

According to the local police, the woman met this man on social media in July. Gradually the conversation increased and the woman started trusting him. One day he sent a message to the woman that he was currently in space and was facing an attack. He said that he needed money to buy oxygen immediately. The woman got carried away by emotions and transferred about 10 lakh yen (about 6.7 lakh rupees) to the fraudster online.

Loneliness became a weakness

According to local media, the woman lived alone. During the conversation, she developed feelings for the man and the fraudster took advantage of this weakness. Police said that such incidents are called "romance scams" and elderly people often get trapped in them.

Such frauds are common in Japan

Japan is the country with the second oldest population in the world (Monaco is at number one). Here, elderly people often become victims of fraud. In the "It's me" scam, criminals pretend to be a family member and ask for money. Many times, elderly people are made to withdraw money from ATMs in the name of false "refund".

Romance scam has become a global problem

Online fraud is now a global problem. According to data from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2023, more than 64,000 people in the US alone fell victim to romance scams and lost more than a billion dollars. In 2019, this figure was $ 500 million.

US Congress member Brittany Peterson said that about half of the people using online dating sites have reported that someone tried to cheat them.

At the same time, Republican MP David Valadao says that "fraudsters have become so clever now that anyone can easily fall into their trap." The police have clearly said that if anyone asks you for money on social media, then be alert immediately and inform the police about it.

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