Sebi warns investors against fraudulent activities by unregistered entity

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday warned investors regarding fraudulent activities perpetrated by an entity, Lazard Asset Management India.

The cautionary statement came after the exchange received a complaint against a WhatsApp group named "JO HAMBRO" luring investors with offers to buy shares at discounted prices after market hours. This group has allegedly collected money from retail investors under the garb of "Seat Trading Account".

In this group, the entity --Lazzard Asset Management India-- is misrepresenting itself as a registered stock broker with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) using a forged registration certificate, the exchange said.

"We wish to clarify that no entity by the name of Lazzard Asset Management India is registered with Sebi as a stock broker. The forged Sebi registration certificate circulated in the WhatsApp group is entirely fabricated and illegitimate," NSE said in a statement.

Accordingly, the bourse has cautioned investors and advised them not to deal with such persons or entities in any manner. Also, it asked investors to verify the credentials and regulatory status of any financial entity before engaging in any transactions or transferring funds.

Investors should note that they will not have access to exchange dispute resolution mechanism, investor grievance redressal mechanism if they engage with such unauthorized schemes, it added.