Think Before You Click: SEBI’s #SEBIvsSCAM Campaign Targets Fake Apps, Deepfakes, and Dubious Tips

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a nationwide investor awareness campaign titled #SEBIvsSCAM, aimed at educating investors about various types of financial scams and how to safeguard themselves. This initiative is part of SEBI’s ongoing commitment to protect the retail investors from such scams in the securities market. Under SEBI’s guidance and regulatory oversight, the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. (NSE) has rolled out a comprehensive investor protection drive to support this campaign.

The campaign comes at a critical time when digital financial frauds are on the rise, with fraudsters using increasingly sophisticated and deceptive methods to target investors. From fake trading apps and deepfake videos to unregistered investment advisors and misleading stock tips on social media, scammers are exploiting technology and denting investor’s trust. Many individuals fall prey to schemes promising guaranteed returns/unusually high returns, pump-and-dump tactics, dabba trading, fraudulent foreign portfolio investment offers, etc—often resulting in significant financial losses.

#SEBIvsSCAM seeks to raise public awareness, promote safe investing habits and empower investors to make informed decisions. By spotlighting common scams and offering guidance, the campaign aims to help investors recognize warning signs, verify sources and report suspicious activities—ultimately contributing to a more secure and transparent financial ecosystem.

To ensure maximum outreach, NSE, under the aegis of SEBI will leverage a mix of media platforms including television, radio, print, digital and social media. We will also spread the Investor Awareness messages through Investor Awareness Programs which are done through physical, digital and hybrid modes. This multi-channel approach is designed to reach investors across urban and rural areas, in multiple languages and through formats that are accessible and engaging to diverse audiences.

Investor Advisory: Stay Alert, Stay Protected

• Do not fall for promises of assured or fixed returns in the securities market. Such offers are illegal and misleading.
• Avoid unsolicited messages from unknown sources. Always verify information through official websites such as SEBI, NSE or the concerned company.
• Do not download unregulated apps or join chat groups offering investment advice.
• Engage only with SEBI-registered intermediaries or research analysts. Verify their credentials at: https://www.sebi.gov.in/sebiweb/other/OtherAction.do?doRecognised=yes
• Download trading apps only from SEBI-registered trading members via official app stores. Verify apps https://www.nseindia.com/trade/members-compliance/list-of-mobile-applications
• Transfer funds only to registered client bank accounts of your stockbroker. Verify account details at https://enit.nseindia.com/MemDirWeb/form/tradingMemberLocator_beta.jsp
• From October 1, 2025, investors will be able to make payments to SEBI-registered intermediaries using a standardized UPI handle format (e.g., abc.brk@validbank) .
• Report any fraudulent activity at www.cybercrime.gov.in or call the Cybercrime Helpline at 1930. For investor support, contact NSE at 1800 266 0050.

Issued in public interest by the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd under the aegis of Securities and Exchange Board of India.

NSE and Odisha Govt Sign MoU to Enhance Financial Literacy Through Investor Awareness Programs and Student Skilling in the BFSI Sector Across Odisha

India’s leading stock exchange, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Government of Odisha signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance Financial Literacy through Investor Awareness Programs and to implement the Student Skilling Programs for the youth across Odisha.

This MOU was exchanged between Shri Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer, NSE and Shri Prashant Kishore Mohapatra, Special Secretary, Govt. of Odisha in the distinguished presence of Suryabanshi Suraj, Hon’ble Minister of State(I/C), Higher Education, Sports & Youth Services, Odia language, Literature & Culture, Govt. of Odisha, today at Bhubaneshwar.

As part of the understanding, NSE with the support of the Government of Odisha shall conduct awareness drive through seminars, camps, knowledge sessions, road shows, workshops to spread financial literacy and investor awareness. This MoU also aims to empower the youth with industry-relevant skills and enhance their employability in the BFSI sector.

Odisha has an expanding financial ecosystem and it is imperative to empower the students, investors and corporates. This understanding embraces various fabrics of the financial ecosystem targeting various stakeholders. This multifaceted MoU is a step towards enhancing financial literacy, promoting investor awareness and fostering empowerment of the existing and new investors. Additionally, the MoU focuses on preparing youth with essential skills through NSE’s Student Skilling Program—an initiative aligned with the central government’s vision of unlocking human capital and enabling both employability and self-employment in the BFSI sector.

Shri Suryabanshi Suraj, Hon'ble Minister of State(I/C), Higher Education, Sports & Youth Services, Odia language, literature & Culture, Govt. of Odisha said, "The Government of Odisha is proud to partner with NSE to drive financial literacy, investor awareness and student skilling in our region. This MoU is not just about expanding financial knowledge; it is about empowering our students with the knowledge and skills they need with respect to financial sector. Together, we are creating a robust financial ecosystem that will pave the way for sustainable growth in Odisha”.

Shri Sriram Krishnan, Chief Business Development Officer, NSE said, “Our collaboration with the Government of Odisha highlights our shared dedication of boosting financial literacy and empowering investors. Through initiatives like investor awareness programs and the Student Skilling Program, we are fostering a well-informed community for both seasoned and new investors. Moreover, we are also committed to equipping the youth of Odisha with the vital skills needed to thrive in today's ever-evolving financial landscape.”

From April 2024 to March 2025, NSE conducted 14,679 Investor Awareness Programs across all 36 states & Union Territories in 14 languages, reaching more than 8 lakh participants. Under the Student Skilling Program more than 7500 students have been trained across various states.

RBI Ombudsman Partners Bajaj Finance & Bajaj Auto to Create Awareness on RBIOS, Fraud and Financial Literacy

The Office of the Reserve Bank of India Ombudsman Mumbai, in partnership with Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Auto Ltd, successfully organised an extensive awareness program on the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RBIOS), Fraud Awareness, and Financial Literacy on October 19th and 20th, 2023 at the Bajaj Auto plant premises in Waluj (Aurangabad).

The program was graced by the presence of Mr. H S Verma, Deputy RBIO Mumbai II, Mr. Aniruddha Mallick, AGM RBIO Mumbai II, and Mr. Akash Kabra, AM RBIO Mumbai II, along with Mr. Rinku Anand, Principal Nodal Officer, and his dedicated team. In addition, numerous staff members from the State Bank of India (SBI) and approximately 300 enthusiastic participants actively participated in this learning initiative.

Mr. Verma emphasised the success of the RBIOS as an indispensable resource for the common man. He elucidated the simple and cost-free procedure for filing complaints under the scheme, which can be conveniently done online at cms.rbi.org.in

The RBI Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RBIOS) serves as a free, swift, impartial, and efficient mechanism to address issues that banks or other regulated companies fail to resolve within 30 days of receiving a complaint. Mr. Verma urged participants to remain vigilant by monitoring their account activities through SMS and promptly reporting unauthorized transactions to their respective banks.

He also stressed upon the importance of safeguarding personal information, such as the CVV number on credit cards, to prevent potential losses if the card is lost or compromised. Mr. Verma warned against sharing sensitive data like bank account numbers, debit card details, identification (ID), Personal Identification Number (PIN), or One-Time Password (OTP) with anyone, particularly fraudsters who may request this information over the phone. Furthermore, he advised recipients of SMS or email notifications about lottery winnings or draws not to send any money.

Participants were also encouraged to lodge complaints related to digital wallets, prepaid payment instruments, mobile banking, and electronic banking, including cases of non-credit to merchants, refunds for failed/unsuccessful/unauthorized transactions, and more, through the RBIOS online portal.

Representatives from Bajaj Finance, including Mr. Rinku Anand, Mr. Ankur Arora, and Ms. Megha More, addressed the participants, sharing valuable insights and information. Mr. Mallick and Mr. Kabra urged all attendees to exercise caution when using online banking and ATMs, advising against sharing PINs or OTPs with anyone. They also highlighted that individuals can inquire about the status of their complaints or raise concerns by contacting the Reserve Bank Ombudsman on the toll-free number 14448.

The collaboration between the Reserve Bank of India Ombudsman Mumbai, Bajaj Finance, and Bajaj Auto Ltd underscores their commitment to enhancing public awareness, financial literacy, and fraud prevention. The event served as an important step in empowering individuals to protect their financial interests and seek prompt resolution to any issues they encounter within the banking and financial sector.

ABOUT BAJAJ FINANCE LIMITED

Bajaj Finance Ltd. (‘BFL’, ‘Bajaj Finance’, or ‘the Company’), a subsidiary of Bajaj Finserv Ltd., is a deposit-taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC-D) registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and is classified as an NBFC-Investment and Credit Company (NBFC-ICC). BFL is engaged in the business of lending and acceptance of deposits. It has a diversified lending portfolio across retail, SMEs, and commercial customers with a significant presence in both urban and rural India. It accepts public and corporate deposits and offers a variety of financial services products to its customers.

BFL, a thirty-six-year-old enterprise, has now become a leading player in the NBFC sector in India and on a consolidated basis, it has a franchise of 72.98 million customers. BFL has the highest domestic credit rating of AAA/Stable for long-term borrowing, A1+ for short-term borrowing, and CRISIL AAA/Stable & [ICRA]AAA(Stable) for its FD program. It has a long-term issuer credit rating of BBB-/Stable a and a short-term rating of A-3 by S&P Global ratings. To know more, visit www.bajajfinserv.in/ 

Financial Literacy Program for Youngsters Being Conducted By Aditya Birla Capital Foundation (ABCF) and National Institute of Securities Market

Targets to educate over 40,000 youngsters in Tier-II and Tier-III locations

Aditya Birla Capital Foundation (“ABCF”), the CSR arm of Aditya Birla Capital and the National Institute of Securities Market (“NISM”), an educational initiative of SEBI, have announced their collaboration to conduct a customised Financial Literacy Program for youngsters, in over 60 cities, across Tier-II and Tier-III locations, pan-India.

The program endeavours to create financial awareness, this program will reach out to more than 40,000 college students, who will undergo an intense 10-hour financial literacy classroom training, facilitated by NISM-certified trainers. On successful completion of the training, participants will be given a certificate by NISM and Aditya Birla Capital Foundation.

Furthermore, to promote the habit of savings, financial planning and investing, the module will help deliver knowledge of financial and securities markets in a simplified manner. The aim is to enable students understand the framework of personal finance, diverse investment and savings opportunities, pre-requisites of engaging in securities markets and various risk assessment and mitigation strategies. The course will also help the participants to develop future-ready skills and explore careers in the financial services sector.

Mrs. Vishakha Mulye, Director, Aditya Birla Capital Foundation and CEO, Aditya Birla Capital Limited, said, "Empowering the youth with financial knowledge is pivotal in today's dynamic economic landscape. Financial education is like a life-skill and if imparted to youngsters at an early age, it will help to develop responsible financial behaviour and mindset to take charge of their financial well-being in the future. Our collaboration with NISM demonstrates our commitment to provide the right knowledge and skills necessary for future generations to make informed financial decisions and do well in their careers”.

Dr. CKG Nair, Director, NISM said, “NISM is tasked with the objective of enhancing awareness on the systems, products, and processes in the securities markets to a large number of stakeholders in the eco-system and to create a cadre of well-informed practitioners in tune with the regulatory objectives. This joint initiative between NISM and ABCF is an ideal platform to achieve the objective of well-informed participants in the securities markets”.

ABCF and NISM will conduct these trainings across various states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam.

About Aditya Birla Capital Foundation (ABCF)

Aditya Birla Capital Foundation (“ABCF”) is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Aditya Birla Capital for undertaking its developmental projects. Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Chairperson, ‘The Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development’, is ABCF’s mentor; Mrs. Vishakha Mulye, CEO, Aditya Birla Capital Limited, Mr. Subhro Bhaduri, CHRO, Aditya Birla Capital Limited and Dr. Pragnya Ram, Group Executive President, Group Head - CSR, Legacy, Documentation & Archives serve as Directors. ABCF is committed to drive programs for inclusive growth and development of the underserved sections of society. Its engagement is primarily focused on women centric programs in the areas of healthcare, education, women empowerment, sustainable livelihood, sports, amongst others. Up until now, ABCF has made a qualitative difference to enrich the lives of over 5.5 Lakh people and is reckoned as a Force for Good amongst beneficiaries.

About National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM)

The National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) is a public trust established in 2006 by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator of the securities markets in India. The institute carries out a wide range of capacity building activities at various levels aimed at enhancing the quality standards in securities markets. NISM has embarked on a fast-track expansion of its activities, which will position the institute as a leading player in knowledge dissemination and skills enhancement in the financial markets’ domain. The mission for NISM is to add to market quality through educational and research initiatives that would support, enable, and expedite an entire gamut of high-quality knowledge services in the securities industry.