Bengaluru: Woman loses Rs 12 lakh to online gift scam

Bengaluru: A 52-year-old woman was duped of Rs 12 lakh by a cyber fraudster claiming to be a foreigner wanting to send her a gift.

The victim has been identified as Sarita, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar.

It is said that Sarita recently received a WhatsApp message from a stranger claiming to be a foreigner. They began to chat and shortly, he told her he was going shopping and would purchase gifts for her.

A few days later, the accused said that he had sent her a gift but she would have to pay customs charges. The same day, Sarita received a call that her gift parcel had arrived at the Airport and she would have to pay customs charges.

The fraudsters asked her for money for filling up an international monetary form and later for delivery charges. She ended up paying Rs 12 lakh.