Thousands lost in a shocking scam where a “fake astronaut” asked for oxygen money

Trying to take advantage of the elderly to swindle them out of their money is nothing new. However, in the digital age, and especially with the AI revolution, crooks are becoming more audacious, creating online personas to dupe people, and stealing thousands of dollars in the process.

Authorities in Japan are using a recent example of this to raise awareness among the public. An octogenarian woman who lives on the northern island of Hokkaido handed over a million yen, roughly $6,700 to an “astronaut” to pay for oxygen.

Fly me to the moon

The fateful tale of the elderly Japanese woman began in July when she befriended a man on social media. The person claimed to be a male astronaut, local police told AFP. The woman, who lives alone, began to develop feelings for the persona.

After some back and forth, one day the “astronaut” said that they were in space and “on a spaceship right now.” However, they were in distress, “under attack and in need of oxygen.” He pleaded with her to transfer money online so that he could buy more oxygen, and she did.

Japanese law enforcement say that this was a case of a romance scam. “If a person you met on social media ever demanded cash from you, please be suspicious of the possibility of scam, and report to police”, an official said.

When “love stinks”

The Federal Trade Commission reports that in 2023, over 64,000 people were hoodwinked by romance scams in the US. Thieves took $1.14 billion from individuals across the nation, the median loss was $2,000, which is “the highest reported losses for any form of imposter scam,” stated the agency.

The FTC says that “Romance scammers are no respecters of age, occupation, or any other demographic variable.” The agency provides the following advice for what people should be on the lookout for in order to avoid falling prey to a romance scam:

• Never send money, crypto, gift cards, bank or wire transfers, or anything else to anyone you haven’t met in person.
• Don’t believe promises that an online friend can increase your nest egg.
• Be suspicious of excuses about why an in-person meeting is impossible.
• Do a reverse image search of the person’s profile picture or any photos they’ve sent you.
• Tell a trusted friend that you’re talking to someone online.

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