Check before you trust: stock tips, Telegram groups and SEBI registration
Why "sure-shot" stock tips from unregistered people on Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube are dangerous, what SEBI's rules say, the red flags, how to check a Research Analyst's registration, and where to complain if you are cheated.
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Open Investor awarenessWhat the video shows
India has over 21 crore demat accounts, and many belong to first-time investors. Every day they see "100% sure-shot calls", paid "VIP groups" and profit screenshots on Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube. SEBI's own studies found that 93 out of 100 individual futures and options traders lost money over FY22 to FY24, and 91% still lost money in FY25. In just nine months of 2024, Indians reported losing over ₹4,636 crore to stock-trading scams.
The law is simple: only SEBI-registered Research Analysts (registration numbers start with INH) may give stock calls and targets, and only SEBI-registered Investment Advisers (INA) may charge for investment advice. Since August 2024, SEBI-registered firms may not tie up with unregistered influencers who give advice or claim returns, and nobody may promise guaranteed returns.
Red flags: guaranteed returns, "sure-shot" or "100%" claims, urgency ("only 10 seats left"), profit screenshots, a free group that becomes a paid VIP group, payment to a personal UPI ID or bank account, no SEBI registration number, an app sent as a link, requests for your OTP or login, and anyone pretending to be a well-known broker.
Before you follow anyone, check them on sebi.gov.in: the name, the registration number and its validity must match. When paying a SEBI-registered intermediary, look for a UPI ID with "@valid" and the green thumbs-up, and confirm it on SEBI Check. If you are cheated, call 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in; complaints against registered entities go to SEBI SCORES.
Stories in the video are illustrative. Facts are from SEBI, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre and depository data; the SEBI cases are shown without names.
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