Mangaluru: A 61-year-old woman allegedly lost Rs 16.2 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam that began with a Facebook advertisement.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN Crime police station, the woman clicked on a link in the advertisement in April and was directed to join a Telegram group.

An unidentified person, using phone numbers with the United Kingdom country code, allegedly contacted her and introduced an investment scheme, promising high returns if she invested larger amounts.

Believing the claims, the woman initially transferred Rs 20,372 to a bank account provided by the suspect on April 18. She later transferred Rs 3 lakh on June 12, another Rs 3 lakh on June 22, Rs 4 lakh on June 24 and Rs 6 lakh on June 30.

In total, she allegedly transferred Rs 16.2 lakh between April 18 and June 30 towards the purported investment.

The fraud came to light after she realised she had been cheated and approached the police. A case has been registered at the CEN Crime police station, and further investigation is under way.