Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has issued a warning about the new frontier of digital crime, saying that she has seen several deepfake videos of herself being circulated online, and that the country must strengthen defenses against such misleading content. She said that as criminals use AI to clone voices, mimic identities, and create lifelike videos, financial regulators must build public confidence.
To tackle impersonation targeting investors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India ( SEBI ) has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India ( NPCI ) to launch a dedicated, verified UPI handle system—using suffixes like .brk for brokers and .mf for mutual funds—to ensure citizens know exactly who they are dealing with.
Read what Sitharaman has to say on new solutions by SEBI
I have seen several deepfake videos of myself being circulated online, manipulated to mislead citizens and distort facts. It was a reminder of the urgency with which we must strengthen our defenses.
The new generation of fraud is no longer about breaching firewalls, it is about hacking trust. Criminals are using AI to mimic voices, clone identities, and create lifelike videos that can manipulate people.
To address rising impersonation and false representation targeting investors, it is heartening to note that @SEBI_India, in partnership with @NPCI_NPCI, has launched a dedicated “@ valid” UPI handle for SEBI-registered investor-facing intermediaries with category suffixes such as .brk for brokers and .mf for mutual funds.
Major brokers covering over 90% of investors and all mutual funds have already enabled it.
The “@ valid” handle establishes a verified, secure payment channel in the securities market while preserving existing payment options, improving safety and accessibility without disrupting user preference.
SEBI has rolled out “SEBI Check”, which allows investors to verify UPI IDs and bank account details (account number + IFSC) of registered intermediaries across UPI, NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS before initiating payments, via the web portal and the Saarthi app.
The framework embeds responsible use of technology through privacy preserving verification, secure processing, audit trails, and continuous improvement informed by flagged mismatches and user reports.
To tackle impersonation targeting investors, the Securities and Exchange Board of India ( SEBI ) has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India ( NPCI ) to launch a dedicated, verified UPI handle system—using suffixes like .brk for brokers and .mf for mutual funds—to ensure citizens know exactly who they are dealing with.
Read what Sitharaman has to say on new solutions by SEBI
I have seen several deepfake videos of myself being circulated online, manipulated to mislead citizens and distort facts. It was a reminder of the urgency with which we must strengthen our defenses.
The new generation of fraud is no longer about breaching firewalls, it is about hacking trust. Criminals are using AI to mimic voices, clone identities, and create lifelike videos that can manipulate people.
To address rising impersonation and false representation targeting investors, it is heartening to note that @SEBI_India, in partnership with @NPCI_NPCI, has launched a dedicated “@ valid” UPI handle for SEBI-registered investor-facing intermediaries with category suffixes such as .brk for brokers and .mf for mutual funds.
Major brokers covering over 90% of investors and all mutual funds have already enabled it.
The “@ valid” handle establishes a verified, secure payment channel in the securities market while preserving existing payment options, improving safety and accessibility without disrupting user preference.
SEBI has rolled out “SEBI Check”, which allows investors to verify UPI IDs and bank account details (account number + IFSC) of registered intermediaries across UPI, NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS before initiating payments, via the web portal and the Saarthi app.
The framework embeds responsible use of technology through privacy preserving verification, secure processing, audit trails, and continuous improvement informed by flagged mismatches and user reports.
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