Woman in her 60s loses 1.5 million yen to someone impersonating an astronaut on social media, who promised a “NASA retirement bonus of 100 million yen.”

On April 25, 2026, the Bihoro Police Station in Hokkaido announced that a woman in her 60s living in the Okhotsk region was defrauded of 1.5 million yen in a social media romance scam.

According to the police, between February and April 2026, the woman met someone on social media who claimed to be an astronaut. This person told her, “I will receive 100 million yen in retirement money from NASA,” “Please become my wife for tax purposes,” and “It will cost 1.5 million yen in shipping to send the 100 million yen.”

The woman transferred 1.5 million yen to a designated account.

On April 25, the woman called the police consultation center, and the case came to light.

The police are urging caution, noting that if someone met on social media demands a cash transfer, it is likely a scam.