{"id":329073,"date":"2025-09-26T21:06:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T01:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deepenglish.com\/?post_type=daily&p=329073"},"modified":"2025-09-26T21:06:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T01:06:35","slug":"expression-of-the-day-string-someone-along","status":"publish","type":"daily","link":"https:\/\/deepenglish.com\/lessons\/daily\/expression-of-the-day-string-someone-along\/","title":{"rendered":"Expression of the Day: String Someone Along"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fake Astronaut Romance Scam Targets Elderly Japanese Woman<\/h3>\n

string someone along<\/strong>: to make someone believe something false over a long period of time<\/p>\n

A bizarre scam in Japan has again revealed how dangerous and creative online fraud can be. An 80-year-old woman in Hokkaido lost about 1 million yen, or $6,700, to a man who claimed to be an astronaut trapped in space. He told her he was \u201cin space on a spaceship right now\u201d and \u201cin need of oxygen.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to police, she began chatting with him on social media in July. Over time, the scammer strung her along<\/strong> with false stories and promises. She thought they were in love, but in reality, he was just a criminal looking for money. <\/p>\n

Cases like this are growing worldwide. In the US romance scams cost victims over $1.14 billion in 2023. New technology like AI deepfakes and voice tools are making scams even harder to detect.<\/p>\n

Police in Japan warn that if someone online asks you for money, you should treat it as a red flag and report it right away.<\/p>\n

Sample sentences<\/h5>\n

He strung her along<\/strong> for years, pretending he wanted to get married.<\/p>\n

The company strung the workers along<\/strong> with promises of a pay raise that never came.<\/p>\n

The company strung their investors along<\/strong> with promises of a groundbreaking technology that never materialized.<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h5>\n

This expression comes from the idea of leading a person with a string, pulling them slowly forward.<\/p>\n

Read More:<\/p>\n

Woman loses thousands of dollars to romance scammer posing as astronaut in distress, police in Japan say<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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