62% Investors Follow Finfluencers: Your Money at Risk?
SEBI's AI tool Project Sudarsan has flagged over 20,000 fake or misleading investment posts on social media since late 2025. With 6 in 10 investors admitting finfluencers shape their money choices, here's how to protect yourself from financial misinformation.
One viral finfluencer tip can cost you more than 6 months of chai — without a single SEBI-registered credential behind it.
Your investment decisions may be driven by fraud — SEBI's AI already found this many
Key Takeaways
Verify any financial adviser or finfluencer you follow by checking their SEBI registration on sebi.gov.in — only SEBI-registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) or Research Analysts (RAs) can legally give personalised investment advice.
Report suspicious financial content — fake return screenshots, guaranteed profit claims, or unregistered stock tips — directly on SEBI's SCORES portal (scores.sebi.gov.in) with screenshots as evidence.
Avoid joining paid WhatsApp or Telegram groups that promise 'sure-shot' stock picks or options calls; these are almost always unregistered and frequently fraudulent under SEBI rules.
SEBI's AI tool Project Sudarsan has flagged over 20,000 fake or misleading investment posts on social media since late 2025. With 6 in 10 investors admitting finfluencers shape their money choices, here's how to protect yourself from financial misinformation.
Here's what happened: SEBI's AI-powered Project Sudarsan, launched in November 2025, has detected over 20,000 fraudulent or misleading investment-related posts across social media platforms.. A SEBI survey found that 62% of Indian investors say finfluencers directly influence their investment decisions, highlighting the massive reach of unregulated financial content online.. Project Sudarsan scans multiple content formats — videos, images, advertisements, and messages — flagging unauthorised investment advice, fake return claims, and impersonation of SEBI-registered entities..
What you should do: Verify any financial adviser or finfluencer you follow by checking their SEBI registration on sebi.gov.in — only SEBI-registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) or Research Analysts (RAs) can legally give personalised investment advice.. Report suspicious financial content — fake return screenshots, guaranteed profit claims, or unregistered stock tips — directly on SEBI's SCORES portal (scores.sebi.gov.in) with screenshots as evidence.. Avoid joining paid WhatsApp or Telegram groups that promise 'sure-shot' stock picks or options calls; these are almost always unregistered and frequently fraudulent under SEBI rules..
Pro tip: Even if a finfluencer has millions of followers and a blue tick, that means nothing legally. Only a SEBI registration number (IA/RA certificate) makes their financial advice lawful — ask for it before trusting a single rupee to their calls.
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- [1]“SEBI’s Project Sudarsan flags 20,000 fraudulent posts as 62% of investors are influenced by finfluencers” mint - money · 9 Aug 2026
This article is reported by GoCredit's Editorial Team based on the source above. GoCredit synthesises, contextualises, and adds India-borrower-relevant analysis. We are not the original publisher.