Live Trading Gurus on Instagram: Is Your Money Safe?
SEBI is warning investors to be careful of people showing live trades on social media. These unregistered 'gurus' can mislead you into risky trades and if you lose money, you have no legal protection to recover it.
Some 'trading gurus' charge ₹50,000+ for courses — that's 6 months of a family's grocery bill gone.
What you could get back if you lose money following unregistered 'live trading' gurus
Key Takeaways
Verify any trading or investment adviser on SEBI's official intermediary search portal (sebi.gov.in) before paying fees or following their trades.
Avoid transferring money to anyone promising 'copy trading', 'live strategy access', or 'guaranteed returns' on WhatsApp, Telegram, or Instagram — file a complaint at SEBI SCORES if approached.
Report suspicious social media trading accounts to SEBI via scores.sebi.gov.in or the SEBI helpline 1800 266 7575 — your report can protect other investors.
SEBI is warning investors to be careful of people showing live trades on social media. These unregistered 'gurus' can mislead you into risky trades and if you lose money, you have no legal protection to recover it.
Here's what happened: SEBI has issued a formal public caution warning investors against following live trading strategies displayed by unregistered individuals on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram.. Showing live trades and soliciting followers or fees for trading advice without SEBI registration as a Research Analyst or Investment Adviser is illegal under SEBI regulations.. Investors who lose money by following such unregistered advisers have virtually no legal recourse — SEBI's grievance redressal system applies only to registered intermediaries..
What you should do: Verify any trading or investment adviser on SEBI's official intermediary search portal (sebi.gov.in) before paying fees or following their trades.. Avoid transferring money to anyone promising 'copy trading', 'live strategy access', or 'guaranteed returns' on WhatsApp, Telegram, or Instagram — file a complaint at SEBI SCORES if approached.. Report suspicious social media trading accounts to SEBI via scores.sebi.gov.in or the SEBI helpline 1800 266 7575 — your report can protect other investors..
A SEBI-registered Research Analyst must display their registration number (format: INH000XXXXXX) publicly. If you don't see it on their profile or website, they are unregistered — full stop.
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- [1]“Caution to Investors regarding display of Live trading strategies on Social Media Platforms” SEBI RSS Feed · 18 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.
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