SEBI gets social: Official X account launched; mandates ‘1600’ phone series for regulated entities

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday announced the launch of its official account on X and advised its regulated entitled a new '1600' phone number series for calls from regulated entities, in a move aimed at boosting transparency and investor protection.

The capital markets regulator said that it launched its official handle on X, @SEBI_updates, on April 4.

SEBI said it would now disseminate notifications related to regulations, orders, circulars, and press releases via this verified account, in addition to its official website.

In a separate release, SEBI said it has advised all its regulated and registered entities to use the newly designated ‘1600’ series of phone numbers exclusively for transactional and service-related voice calls to existing customers.

The move is in line with guidelines issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to help investors identify genuine calls from SEBI-regulated entities, reducing the risk of financial fraud.

“Investors should note the new ’1600’ phone numbering series to easily identify and attend service and transactional calls from SEBI regulated/registered entities, thereby enhancing investor security and minimising the risk of fraud by unscrupulous entities using regular 10 digit numbers,” SEBI said.

The regulator also advised the public on ways to report spam or suspected fraudulent activities. Complaints regarding unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) can be made via telecom operators’ apps or websites, the TRAI DND app, or by calling/sending an SMS to 1909.