A man who pretended to be an astronaut reportedly conned a woman out of 4.4 million yen (about $24.8 lakh) by telling her he would need the funds to come back to Earth and wed her.
The case was reported from Japan, when a conman who identified himself as a Russian astronaut made a marriage proposal to the woman upon his return to Earth. However, he informed her that he required 24.8 lakh to travel back to Earth.
The 65-year-old Shiga prefecture resident first connected with the phony astronaut on Instagram, where he posted occasional images of space. The man added that he has limited access to mobile phones due to his job on the International Space Station (ISS).
The two quickly began messaging one another before switching to the Japanese chat software Line. After a while, the man revealed to the woman that he had fallen in love with her and even made an engagement proposal.
According to reports, he said he wanted to establish a new life with the victim in Japan. “Saying this 1,000 times won’t be enough, but I’ll keep saying it. Love you,” is just one among the text messages he sent to her.
The faux astronaut demanded money from her or “landing fees.” This was “to enable him to reach Earth.” He also claimed the sum would also pay for the plane’s return trip to space.
According to the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun, the victim sent him 24.69 lakh yen (4.4 million yen) in a brief amount of time. The woman became skeptical when he kept requesting more money and called the police. The matter is now being investigated thoroughly.
