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Freedom251 › Blog › financial fraud

How to Check Whether an Investment Scheme Is Registered With SEBI

By Freedom251 Team · · 11 min read

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Start with SEBI’s official Recognised Intermediaries directory before sending money. Search the person’s or entity’s legal name, trade name, or registration number, and choose the category that matches the role being claimed—for example, investment adviser, mutual fund, or alternative investment fund. Then compare the directory record with the details in the offer. A name appearing in the directory confirms a particular registration record; it does not by itself prove that every separately marketed “scheme,” promised return, or product connected with that entity is approved or suitable for you.

What a SEBI registration check can—and cannot—establish

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) maintains a Recognised Intermediaries directory for several classes of market entities. SEBI Investor Support tells investors to check intermediary registration before investing, and SEBI’s investment-adviser FAQ points readers to the same list for an adviser’s registration status and contact details.

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That makes the directory the correct first verification step when someone asks you to transfer money, sign an advisory agreement, buy a fund, or join an investment programme. It is more reliable than a screenshot, a certificate forwarded in a chat, a social-media profile, or a registration number typed into a sales presentation.

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The check has a defined scope:

  • It can show whether a named entity appears in a SEBI-recognised category and what registration details SEBI displays for that record.
  • It can help you compare the legal or trade name, registration number, category, address, telephone number, and validity information with the party contacting you.
  • It does not establish that an offer is profitable, risk-free, suitable for your circumstances, or authorised to guarantee returns.
  • It does not automatically prove that every product or scheme promoted by a registered entity has its own SEBI registration.

The reviewed SEBI material does not describe one universal, scheme-level search covering every product that may be advertised to retail investors. Therefore, keep your conclusion narrow: say exactly what the directory record verifies and do not turn an intermediary match into a blanket approval of the investment offer.

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Before searching, identify what is actually being offered

“Investment scheme” is a broad sales phrase. The person approaching you may actually be claiming to be an investment adviser, broker, mutual fund, alternative investment fund manager, or another type of market participant. SEBI separates these categories in its directory, so choosing the wrong category can produce a misleading result.

Questions to answer from the documents or message

  • What is the exact legal name of the contracting party?
  • Is a different trade name being used in advertisements or messaging?
  • What role is being claimed: investment adviser, fund, manager, broker, or something else?
  • Is there a SEBI registration number, and which category does the promoter say it belongs to?
  • Who would receive your money—the named entity, a personal bank account, or a third party?
  • What product name, fund name, or scheme name appears in the agreement, application, or payment request?

Write these details down exactly as shown. Small differences matter. A company suffix, spelling change, abbreviated name, or different telephone number can indicate that the party contacting you is not the entity listed by SEBI.

How to use SEBI’s Recognised Intermediaries directory

  1. Open the official SEBI Recognised Intermediaries directory. Navigate to SEBI’s own investor or intermediary-registration information rather than following a link supplied by a promoter. The official directory is the primary record for this check.
  2. Select the relevant registry category. Choose the category corresponding to the claimed role or product, such as investment adviser, registered mutual fund, or alternative investment fund. If the offer does not clearly identify a category, pause and ask the promoter to state the regulated role in writing.
  3. Search the member or trade name. Enter the name exactly, then try reasonable variations only to investigate spelling or branding differences. A broad search result is not enough; open the matching record and inspect its identifying fields.
  4. Search by registration number when one is supplied. A number can narrow the results, but it is not self-authenticating. Confirm that the returned name and category match the person or entity that solicited you.
  5. Record the result. Save the directory page or make a dated note of the displayed name, category, registration number, address, telephone details, and validity information where shown. Registry records are live and can change.
  6. Compare every material detail with the offer. Check the agreement, invoice, website, email domain, bank-account name, telephone number, and physical address against the directory record and the disclosures the adviser is required to provide.
  7. Stop when the identity or category does not line up. Do not proceed merely because a similar-sounding business appears in the directory. Ask SEBI through its official investor-support channel how to verify the discrepancy, and do not transfer funds while it remains unresolved.

Which details should match?

Detail What to compare Why it matters
Legal or member name The full name in the directory versus the agreement, invoice, and payment instructions It helps distinguish the registered entity from an unrelated business using a similar brand.
Trade name The public-facing name used in advertisements versus the trade name shown in SEBI’s result, if available A brand may differ from the legal entity; the relationship should be clear and documented.
Registration number The number supplied by the promoter versus the number returned by SEBI A typed or copied number can be false, altered, expired, or associated with another entity.
Category The claimed role versus the category in which SEBI lists the entity An adviser listing does not automatically establish registration as a fund or another product type.
Address Full office address in the directory or required disclosures versus the address in the offer A mismatch can show that the caller is not the registered entity.
Telephone details Numbers disclosed by the adviser versus numbers used to solicit you Independent contact details reduce the risk of relying on a forwarded or impersonated contact.
Validity information Any validity or status information displayed by SEBI versus the date of the offer A historical registration record may not establish current status.

SEBI’s June 2, 2025 Investment Adviser Investor Charter specifies that advisers should disclose their registration type, registration number, validity, full address, and telephone details. Use those disclosures as a cross-check, not as a substitute for checking the directory yourself.

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How to interpret the most common search outcomes

A precise match in the correct category

If the legal or trade name, registration number, category, and contact details align, you have confirmed that the entity appears in that SEBI registry category. Keep the wording precise: “The entity is listed as a SEBI-registered investment adviser,” for example. Do not say that SEBI has endorsed the specific returns, strategy, or scheme being sold unless an applicable official record establishes that separately.

A similar name but different registration number

Treat this as unresolved. Similar names are not proof of common ownership or authorisation. Contact the entity through independently obtained details, ask for an explanation in writing, and verify the answer against SEBI’s record. Do not use the telephone number in a suspicious message as your only means of confirmation.

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The entity appears, but in another category

A registration in one category does not establish permission to perform every other regulated role. For example, an investment-adviser listing is not automatically a mutual-fund or alternative-investment-fund registration. Compare the category to the activity for which you are being asked to pay.

No result for the name or number

Check for a spelling error, a different legal entity, or a trade name that is not the registered name. Ask the promoter for the exact legal name and category, then repeat the search. If a properly formatted name and number still produce no matching record, do not send money until SEBI or another competent official channel clarifies the status.

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The record is old, inactive, or lacks current details

Do not assume that a past listing authorises a current offer. Note the status and displayed date, and obtain current confirmation before proceeding. Directory information can change after you first view it.

Why a registered intermediary is not the same as a registered scheme

SEBI’s directory distinguishes entities and categories. A person may be registered to provide investment advice, while a fund, portfolio product, or other scheme may have separate legal and disclosure requirements. The sources reviewed do not establish a single lookup process that covers every product marketed under the generic label “investment scheme.”

Ask the promoter to identify the exact regulated product, its issuer or manager, and the official documents governing it. Then verify that product through the authority and category that actually apply. Do not infer product approval from a registration number printed on a brochure, and do not accept a claim that “SEBI registered” means returns are guaranteed.

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When writing down your conclusion, separate the two questions:

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  • Entity question: Is this particular person or organisation listed by SEBI in the category it claims?
  • Offer question: What legal product is being sold, and where can that product’s own official status and disclosures be verified?

Warning signs that should make you pause

SEBI Investor Support carries an alert about unauthorised money-mobilisation schemes. A registration check is especially important when the pitch includes pressure, secrecy, or an unusual payment route.

  • A promise of guaranteed, fixed, or unusually high returns with little or no risk.
  • Pressure to transfer money immediately, “before the slot closes,” or before you can read the documents.
  • Requests to pay a personal bank account, a wallet, cash courier, or an account whose name does not match the listed entity.
  • A refusal to provide the legal name, registration category, registration number, address, or telephone details in writing.
  • A certificate or screenshot that cannot be found in the live SEBI directory.
  • Instructions to rely on a promoter’s private verification link instead of typing SEBI’s official address yourself.
  • A claim that one registration number covers every investment, trading service, fund, or scheme sold by a group.

None of these signs alone determines the legal status of an offer, but each is a reason to stop, preserve the communications, and verify independently before paying.

What to do when the details do not match

  1. Do not transfer funds or share additional identity documents. A mismatch remains unresolved until independently explained and confirmed.
  2. Save evidence. Keep the original message, email headers where available, agreement, payment instructions, phone numbers, website address, screenshots, and the date you checked SEBI’s directory.
  3. Ask for a written clarification. Request the exact legal entity, category, registration number, validity information, and the relationship between that entity and the scheme name.
  4. Verify through official SEBI information. Use SEBI’s investor-support resources rather than a contact route supplied by the promoter.
  5. Warn other decision-makers in your household or business. A second person should not pay while the first person is investigating.
  6. If money has already been sent, contact your bank or payment provider immediately. Ask what hold, recall, or fraud-reporting options are available and retain the transaction reference for any official complaint.

These steps do not guarantee recovery of money, but prompt documentation and notification preserve options that may disappear with time.

How to keep a defensible verification record

For a high-value investment or an arrangement you may need to explain later, create a one-page verification log. Include:

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  • Date and time of the search, including your time zone.
  • Exact name, trade name, and registration number searched.
  • Category selected in the Recognised Intermediaries directory.
  • Name, category, status, address, telephone number, and validity information displayed by SEBI.
  • Product or scheme name, issuer, payment recipient, and documents supplied by the promoter.
  • Every discrepancy, question asked, and response received.
  • The date on which you plan to recheck the record if the transaction is delayed.

This record prevents a common error: remembering that “something similar” appeared in a registry while forgetting which entity, category, or date was actually displayed.

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How often should you recheck?

Recheck immediately before signing or paying if the initial search was conducted days or weeks earlier. SEBI’s directory is a live administrative listing, and displayed status dates can change. A search used for this guide showed category status dates of October 12, 2026; that observation is not a permanent status and should not be reused as a current fact without viewing the directory again.

Recheck sooner if the promoter changes its bank account, legal name, contact details, product name, or contract. A new offer is a new verification event, even when the same sales representative previously appeared legitimate.

Common mistakes to avoid

Searching only the brand name

Public brands and legal entities may differ. Obtain the contracting entity’s full legal name and search that name as well as the trade name.

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Assuming a number is genuine because it has the right format

A plausible-looking number can belong to another entity or be copied from an old document. Always search the number in SEBI’s directory and compare the returned identity.

Treating a listing as a recommendation

Registration is not a personal suitability assessment, a performance guarantee, or proof that a scheme will meet its promises. Those are separate questions requiring review of risk, fees, liquidity, conflicts, and the actual legal documents.

Ignoring the recipient of the money

The bank-account name should make sense for the contracting entity and payment. If the recipient is an unrelated person or business, pause even when a similarly named entity is listed.

Using an old screenshot as current proof

Status records and contact details can change. Use the live directory at the time of the decision and record the date of your check.

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A short decision checklist

  • Have I identified the exact legal entity and the product being offered?
  • Did I open SEBI’s official Recognised Intermediaries directory myself?
  • Did I select the category that matches the claimed role?
  • Did I search both the name or trade name and the registration number?
  • Do the name, category, number, address, telephone details, and validity information match?
  • Is the payment recipient consistent with the listed entity?
  • Am I keeping the conclusion limited to what the listing actually proves?
  • Have I paused because of pressure, a guarantee, an unauthorised money-mobilisation pitch, or any unresolved mismatch?

If any answer is “no,” the sensible next action is verification—not payment.

What the official investor guidance means for you

SEBI’s Investor Charter places responsibility on investors to deal with SEBI-recognised market-infrastructure institutions and SEBI-registered intermediaries or regulated entities. That does not shift the promoter’s legal obligations to you; it means you should perform the basic identity check rather than relying on an advertisement’s claim.

SEBI’s adviser guidance also makes the adviser’s registration type, number, validity, address, and telephone details important disclosure points. If those details are missing or inconsistent, treat the omission as a material verification problem. Do not fill the gap with assumptions about the business’s reputation or the apparent professionalism of its website.

Bottom line: verify the entity, then investigate the offer separately

Use SEBI’s Recognised Intermediaries directory as the first and independent check. Search the exact name, trade name, or registration number in the correct category, compare every identifying detail with the person contacting you, and stop when the identity, category, validity, or payment instructions do not line up. A successful directory match establishes a registration record for that entity; it does not by itself register every scheme, guarantee returns, or make the investment suitable. Keep those questions separate, and do not send money until both the intermediary and the specific product have been verified through appropriate official information.

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