What are the red flags of this scam?

SEBI does not send letters demanding payment of STT directly to investors — STT is deducted by your broker automatically at the time of every trade • The notice carries what looks like an official SEBI letterhead, logo, and seal but demands payment to a private bank account or UPI ID • The notice falsely claims to be coordinated with the RBI — SEBI has specifically clarified it does not do this • A deadline of 24–48 hours is given to pay or face account freeze, legal action, or asset seizure • The notice references a specific SEBI Act section to appear legitimate, but no genuine SEBI notice asks for direct STT remittance to any individual or account • Contact usually comes via WhatsApp, email, or courier using forged letterhead — never through the official SEBI SCORES portal or your registered broker

What should I do if this happened to me?

Do not pay any amount demanded in such a notice — it is forged • Verify any communication claiming to be from SEBI by calling their official investor helpline at 1800-266-7575 or checking scores.gov.in • Your broker handles all STT — if you have genuine STT questions, call your stockbroker's customer care line directly • If you received such a notice, report it to SEBI at scores.gov.in and forward the document to sebi@sebi.gov.in • If you already paid money in response to such a notice, file a police complaint and freeze your bank account to stop further transfers • Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).

HIGH government impersonation Last reported: 25 Sept 2026 Share

Forged SEBI notice demands payment for fake Securities Transaction Tax to release your funds

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A forged notice on SEBI letterhead claims you owe unpaid Securities Transaction Tax (STT) and that your trading account is frozen until you pay. SEBI does not issue individual tax-payment notices — STT is collected by brokers at trade time.

A forged notice on SEBI letterhead claims you owe unpaid Securities Transaction Tax (STT) and that your trading account is frozen until you pay. SEBI does not issue individual tax-payment notices — STT is collected by brokers at trade time.

Also known as: fake SEBI STT notice, forged SEBI notice scam, fake securities transaction tax demand, SEBI fund release fee scam, fake SEBI letterhead fraud

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

Call 1930 now

1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.

What to do right now

1 Do not pay any amount demanded in such a notice — it is forged
2 Verify any communication claiming to be from SEBI by calling their official investor helpline at 1800-266-7575 or checking scores.gov.in
3 Your broker handles all STT — if you have genuine STT questions, call your stockbroker's customer care line directly
4 If you received such a notice, report it to SEBI at scores.gov.in and forward the document to [email protected]
5 If you already paid money in response to such a notice, file a police complaint and freeze your bank account to stop further transfers
6 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).

Red flags

⚠ SEBI does not send letters demanding payment of STT directly to investors — STT is deducted by your broker automatically at the time of every trade
⚠ The notice carries what looks like an official SEBI letterhead, logo, and seal but demands payment to a private bank account or UPI ID
⚠ The notice falsely claims to be coordinated with the RBI — SEBI has specifically clarified it does not do this
⚠ A deadline of 24–48 hours is given to pay or face account freeze, legal action, or asset seizure
⚠ The notice references a specific SEBI Act section to appear legitimate, but no genuine SEBI notice asks for direct STT remittance to any individual or account
⚠ Contact usually comes via WhatsApp, email, or courier using forged letterhead — never through the official SEBI SCORES portal or your registered broker

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources