Verify SEBI Advisers and Use SCORES.

Protect your investments with simple verification steps

2 min readPublished
A security guard checking a visitor's digital ID at the entrance gate of a residential society.
The Security Guard for Your Money

You check passes at your housing society gate to stay safe. Do the same before hiring a financial adviser.

The story

Imagine receiving stock tips from a confident stranger on WhatsApp. They claim to have a SEBI registration number. But how do you verify this? What if it's just a scam?

Unknown Advisor
Double your savings in 3 months! I am a SEBI registered analyst (Reg: INA999888777). Pay Rs 5000 fee directly to my personal UPI to start.

In India, only SEBI-registered Investment Advisers (IA) and Research Analysts (RA) can legally advise for a fee. This registration is your basic safety filter.

SEBI has over 1,300 registered Investment Advisers and 1,100 Research Analysts as of 2024. You can verify any IA/RA instantly using the SEBI Intermediary portal or SCORES app.

When verifying, check the registration number, validity, and exact services they are approved for. This simple step protects your hard-earned money from scams.

Analogy

SEBI Verification as a Fortress

Just as Shivaji's fort had a wide trench to protect it from invaders, verifying a SEBI registration creates a protective barrier around your investments. It ensures you're dealing with a legitimate and authorized adviser.

Why this matters

Verifying a SEBI registration matters because it directly impacts the safety of your investments. By taking this simple step, you're protecting your hard-earned money from potential scams and unregistered advisers.

Lock it in

Where people go wrong

  1. Trusting a 'SEBI-registered' claim without verifyingA simple verification on the SEBI portal can reveal the truth.
  2. Paying fees directly to an individual's UPIAlways pay fees to the registered entity, not personal accounts.
Verification Checklist.sebi.gov.in
1. Search registration on SEBI portal. 2. Confirm validity status. 3. Match the bank account name with the registered entity.
If you only remember three things

  1. Verify any IA/RA on SEBI's Intermediary portal

  2. Check registration number and validity

  3. Use SCORES for grievance redressal

Victims of fraud often trust confident voices over simple official verification.
Shekar