Pune: A 42-year-old nurse from Tadiwala Road was allegedly duped of Rs2.88 lakh through a social media advertisement promising a free high-end smartphone.The fraud took place between Aug 20 and Sept 1. The woman lodged a complaint with Bund Garden police on Thursday.An officer from Bund Garden police said, “The complainant, a staff nurse at a private hospital, clicked on an advertisement offering a free gift on a social media platform. She was then contacted by an unknown man through a messaging app. He told her she had won a high-end smartphone along with a charger, smartwatch, bag and air pods. She was asked to pay Rs720 towards its delivery.”“After paying, she was contacted by another person. This person asked her to pay Rs3,999 as transport charges. She was assured the money would be returned once the gift was delivered, and made multiple payments under various pretexts. She continued sending money in the hope of recovering the amount she had already paid. She transferred a total of Rs2.88 lakh till Sept 1,” the officer added.
