Pune: Incidents of online fraud in Pune continue to surge with each month and thousands fall into the trap of the lure of money or gifts, exclusive deals and offers, cash backs and more.

In line with the online fraud, an IT professional from Pune has been duped for Rs 26 lakh by fraudsters using the 'gift' trick. The 29-year-old woman was tricked into transferring the money into fraudsters' accounts under the pretext that she would be getting an expensive gift from her company's boss in Australia.

The woman complained to the Hinjewadi police. According to the complaint, the fraudsters told her to first transfer money for various charges of a transfer before claiming the ‘gift’. After the money was transferred into their account, the fraudsters asked her to pay more. They claimed that the gift was seized by officials of the customs department at the airport.

She supposedly transferred Rs 26 lakh to the fraudsters and later realised to know that she has been scammed.

“The woman had applied for two separate personal loans recently. She transferred the entire amount to various bank accounts. The woman then borrowed Rs3 lakh from her father-in-law and some money from her relatives,” sub-inspector Nandkumar Gabhale was quoted as saying by Times of India. “She also asked her relative in Mumbai for some money. He got suspicious and came to Pune on Friday, after which a complaint was lodged,” he added.

The police are probing the case further.