Fraudsters Impersonating SEBI Officials: Public Alerted to Fake Notices and Bogus Bank Accounts
Moneylife Digital Team 05 September 2025
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has cautioned the public about fraudsters impersonating its officials and misusing its logo and letterhead to extract money from unsuspecting investors. The regulator says that in several instances, forged notices have been circulated over email and social media platforms, with fraudsters posing as SEBI representatives and demanding payments towards penalties, compliance charges or settlement amounts.
 
SEBI noted that its letterhead has also been misused to certify fraudulent bank accounts as 'SEBI-authorised merchant accounts', complete with fake signatures of officials. Such documents are designed to mislead investors into believing that the accounts are genuine, resulting in people losing money by transferring funds to these fraudulent accounts, it says.
 
The market regulator has urged investors to remain vigilant and verify the authenticity of any communication received in SEBI’s name. It clarified that all enforcement actions are publicly available on its official website and that any payment to SEBI must be made only through its authorised online gateway. It further reminded the public that official emails are sent only from addresses ending with @sebi.gov.in, and that office addresses and contact details of SEBI officials are listed on its website.
 
SEBI has appealed to investors not to trust letters, emails or messages originating from unauthorised domains or individuals demanding money on its behalf. The regulator says gullible investors are at risk of being misled by such impersonation scams and stressed the importance of vigilance to protect against fraudulent activity.
 
Comments
Free Helpline
Legal Credit
Feedback