Hyderabad, May 1 -- A 48-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad's Pragatinagar was duped of Rs 77 lakh in an online trading fraud from February 15 to April 13.

The scam began when the victim came across a trading advertisement on social media which promised higher returns. When the woman clicked on the link she was directed to a WhatsApp group.

The fraudsters posed as representatives of a reputed company and used its promotional strategy to gain her trust. The woman was shown fake profits made through investments. When she tried to withdraw the money, she was asked to pay for charges including channel fee, transaction and tax certificates.

Even after making the payments, fraudsters intimidated her by posing as police officials and d...