There’s a moment most investors never forget. Your communications remain unattended. The funds that you placed in the hands of another person now seem unattainable.
You frequently revisit each choice in your mind, thinking of outcomes and questioning whether anyone will hear your concerns now.
When all hopes feel gone, SEBI remains the only entity that does not close its doors to you.
Its purpose is to listen to investors when regulatory bodies cease responding or delay accountability.
Submitting a SEBI complaint provides a framework for your issue and ensures it moves through a formal, documented procedure.
For many investors, knowing that things are clear is the first step toward feeling better.
Types of Complaints Handled by SEBI
SEBI deals with issues in the Indian securities market. SEBI only gets involved when the problem involves companies or people they regulate, like stockbrokers, listed companies, mutual funds, portfolio managers, or registered investment advisors.
Many investors think SEBI handles all kinds of financial scams, but that’s not the case.
SEBI has a specific job.
In general, the complaints SEBI handles can be divided into two main types.
1. Investor Grievances
These are complaints from individual investors who are trying to get help from a specific company that is registered with SEBI. This is the most common type of complaint that SEBI handles.
These complaints are filed on SEBI’s SCORES platform and usually involve issues like poor service, improper behavior, or unfair treatment.
Common types of complaints SEBI accepts are:
- SEBI accepts complaints when trades are done in your account without your permission or knowledge.
- You can complain if a broker or advisor misleads you while selling investments or gives false stock tips.
- Delays or non-receipt of money or securities like dividends, refunds, shares, or bond interest can be reported.
- SEBI also steps in when brokers, companies, or intermediaries ignore your emails, calls, or written complaints.
3. Market manipulation and Broader frauds
Some problems are so big or affect the whole market that they can’t be handled like regular complaints. These are not dealt with through SCORES but are instead treated as market intelligence by SEBI.
In these cases, SEBI doesn’t act as a person who solves disputes. Instead, it looks for patterns, investigates further, and may take action if it finds any rule violations.
Examples of such cases include:
- Market manipulation and price rigging: Raising or lowering stock prices unfairly, like in pump and dump schemes, where retail investors are tricked.
- Insider trading: Buying or selling stocks using secret information that hasn’t been made public by someone inside the company or related to it.
- Assured or guaranteed return schemes: Any investment that promises fixed or guaranteed returns, whether it’s linked to the market or not, without proper regulatory approval.
When SEBI receives information about serious market-related frauds, it does not treat them like normal investor complaints. These matters are handled as regulatory intelligence, not personal grievance cases.
In such cases, investors don’t get personal updates or direct compensation from SEBI.
The result is typically a regulatory order or some kind of enforcement action. If SEBI chooses, they will publish this information later. The main aim is to ensure the market stays safe in the long run.
What Types of Complaints are Not Handled by SEBI?
Many investors complain that SEBI can’t legally take action on their issues.
SEBI usually doesn’t deal with:
- Complaints against unlisted companies, chit funds, or Ponzi schemes. These are typically handled by the Police or the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), or other relevant authorities.
- Matters related to banks, NBFCs, or insurance companies. These are regulated by the RBI for banks and NBFCs, IRDAI for insurance, and other specific bodies.
- Private loan disputes or personal agreements between individuals.Cases that are already being handled by courts or through arbitration.
When Should You File a Complaint with SEBI?
You should only file a complaint with SEBI after you have tried the correct steps to resolve your issue with the company or person involved.
SEBI is not the first place to go for every investment problem.
It is meant to be used only when the company or intermediary you dealt with, like a stockbroker, mutual fund company, or investment adviser, does not properly address your complaint or takes too long to resolve it.
The first thing you should do is contact the company or intermediary directly.
You can send your complaint by email using their official grievance process. You should wait for up to 30 days.
This waiting period is important because SEBI needs to know that you gave the company a fair chance to fix the problem on its own before taking further action.
You should approach SEBI only if:
- The company or intermediary does not respond at all within 30 days
- They reject your complaint without proper justification
- They respond, but the resolution is incomplete, unfair, or unsatisfactory
In such cases, you can take the issue to SCORES. You need to file your complaint within one year of the date the problem first happened. Even if your complaint is real, SEBI may not accept it if it’s filed after this time period.
How To File a Complaint in SEBI?
Filing a SEBI complaint is a formal legal process, not just filling out a form.
When money is stuck, calls go unanswered, or you feel misled, panic is natural, but rushing the process can weaken your case.
SEBI’s system is designed to protect investors, provided you follow each step carefully and in the right order.
Step 1: First, raise your complaint with the entity involved
Before you go to SEBI, you should officially complain to the company or person you dealt with, like a broker, investment advisor, mutual fund house, or listed company.
This is important because SEBI wants to see that you tried to fix the problem first.
In many cases involving fraud, this is when things start to get delayed, responses become unclear, or there is no reply at all.
Step 2: Wait for a response for 30 days
Once you send your complaint to the company, give them 30 days to reply or fix the problem.
If their answer is confusing, not helpful, or doesn’t address your issue, especially if they don’t respond at all, it makes your case stronger.
It’s a necessary legal step before you can take further action.
Step 3: Prepare your evidence calmly and clearly
Before you file your case on SEBI’s platform, collect all the supporting documents.
This could include emails, chat logs, bank statements, receipt copies, screenshots, or signed contracts.
Many fraud cases fail not because the problem is real, but because the evidence is missing or not properly arranged.
Step 4: File the complaint on SEBI’s SCORES portal
Go to SEBI’s official SCORES portal and sign up as a new user.
Choose the right category for your complaint, like problems with a broker, bad investment advice, or unregistered tips.
Upload all your documents and explain the issue clearly. Tell what happened, when it happened, and how it affected you.
Step 5: Track your complaint and respond
Once you submit your complaint, SCORES gives you a tracking number.
Keep checking for updates and reply quickly if SEBI or the intermediary asks for more information.
Many complaints about fraud take a long time to settle, but keeping up with the process and giving timely responses can help get things resolved faster.
Need Help in Filing a Complaint to SEBI Against Fraudsters?
When fraud occurs, it’s not just about losing money; it also harms your trust and makes you doubt the choices you’ve made.
The quietness, delays, and lack of answers can feel worse than the actual loss. We know that confusion and stress often come before things get clear.
If dealing with the SEBI complaint process feels overwhelming, especially after facing possible fraud, register with us. You don’t have to go through it alone.
Here’s how we help investors at every step, calmly and clearly:
- Documentation Help: We help you find, gather, and organize all the important papers needed for a strong complaint.
This includes bank statements, trade confirmations, payment records, emails, chat logs, screenshots, contracts, and any other proof that matters.
Having all the right documents makes your complaint clear, believable, and complete. - Writing Your Complaint: We help you create a complaint that is clear, factual, and well-organized.
It explains what happened, when it happened, and how it affected you, without using emotional words or making legal mistakes that might hurt your case. - Filing Support on SCORES: Filling out the SCORES portal can be tricky for someone who’s never done it before.
We walk you through each step, from signing up to finally submitting the complaint.
We make sure everything is filled in properly to avoid any rejections or delays. - Managing the Case from Start to Finish: Our help doesn’t end once you file the complaint.
We assist you in tracking the progress, responding to any questions from SEBI or the financial company, and keeping things moving until the case is resolved.
Conclusion
When you follow the correct steps, first talking to the company involved, waiting for the required time, and then submitting a clear and well-documented complaint on SCORES, you officially record your concern legally.
A SEBI complaint against fraudsters isn’t about being angry or seeking revenge; it’s about holding people accountable and protecting your rights as an investor.
By following the timelines, giving accurate information, and staying patient during the process, you greatly increase the chances of getting a resolution.
Even if the outcome takes time, filing a complaint makes sure that wrongdoings are not ignored and that your case is officially recorded within India’s securities regulations.
Even when a loss feels overwhelming, taking the right legal steps can restore a sense of control and clarity.
Many investors have found relief simply by being heard through the proper system. With patience, proper documentation, and the right process, hope often begins where confusion ends.
