Japanese woman pays Rs 22 lakh to help ‘astronaut’ return to Earth

A Japanese woman trapped by a space scam. She was duped by Rs 22 lakh after paying the landing fees for a Russian astronaut. The 65-year-old spent the whopping amount after the imposter promised to marry her and said he needed the money to pay for a rocket and landing fees to return to Earth.

She met him on online accounts and the man who claimed to be living on the International Space Station. The pair started chatting on Instagram and the plenty of space photos on the man’s profile convinced the woman that he was telling the truth. Later, she grew suspicious of the man’s actions and reported him to the police. An investigation is underway regarding the case.