Jaipur, June 10 : In a new trend, cybercriminals are now impersonating officials from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to scam unsuspecting investors.

The Cyber Crime Branch of Rajasthan Police on Monday issued a serious warning, alerting the people to this latest fraud tactic, officials said.

Scammers are using fake SEBI letterheads, forged recovery certificates, and counterfeit seals to lend authenticity to their fraudulent schemes, officials added.

According to Superintendent of Police (Cyber Crime) Shantanu Kumar, cyber fraudsters are sending forged documents that closely resemble official SEBI communications.

These fake letters and certificates appear genuine at first glance and are used to deceive investors by posing as SEBI officers, Kumar said.

The primary aim is to extract money from victims under false pretences, he added.

SEBI has provided several tools to help the public verify the authenticity of its communications: It says check the SEBI website as all official SEBI orders are available at official website, verify recovery certificates, authenticate using UDIN, verify SEBI officials and check if mails are coming via official EMAIL domain.

The Rajasthan Police has urged citizens to remain cautious and take immediate action if they encounter such fraudulent attempts: call the Cybercrime Helpline at 1930, file a complaint online and report the matter to the nearest police station or cyber police station.

Authorities emphasised that awareness is the first line of defence against cyber fraud.

Investors are strongly advised to never act on any document without proper verification.

/IANS