'Came across a famous actor's ad...': Zerodha's Nithin Kamath red flags celebrities endorsing illegal apps

Zerodha co-founder Nithin Kamath in a post on X flagged concerns over top actors promoting unauthorized and unregulated platforms. Kamath said he had come across an advertisement featuring a well-known star who probably had no idea of the legal status of the platform he was promoting. 

Kamath, in his post, pointed to Octafx, an online forex trading app that got the actors who endorsed it in trouble. TV actors Karan Wahi and Krystle D'Souza are being questioned over their OctaFx endorsement.
Officials privy to the development told a news agency that the statements of the actors are being recorded for "promoting" the platform. 

The statements are being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The move comes after the enforcement directorate conducted search operations on June 18 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at various locations in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi as part of an ongoing probe against OctaFx Trading App and website www.octafx.com.

Officials said that during the course of search operations, bank funds to the tune of Rs 2.7 crore have been frozen and various incriminating documents and digital devices have been found and seized by the ED.

ED initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by Shivaji Nagar Police Station, Pune, against several persons for involvement in showing false temptations of high returns and duping persons in the guise of forex trading through the platform.

ED investigation revealed that the OctaFx online trading app and website are operating in India in association with India-based entity OctaFx India Private Limited.As per the ED, the app (OCTAFX) and its website have not been authorized by RBI to deal in forex trading.

"This forex trading platform is widely promoted on social networking sites and is following referral-based incentive models for acquiring users to their platforms," ED said in a statement.

"It has emerged in the investigation that multiple accounts of different Indian banks were being shown to investors/users on OctaFx trading app/www.octafx.com for collecting funds in the guise of facilitating forex trading. It is also revealed that OctaFx has manipulated trade activities and information shown on its platform, ultimately resulting in net loss to the traders. The said accumulated funds, after defrauding these investors/users, were transferred to multiple e-wallet accounts or to bank accounts of dummy entities," ED added.

"This way, OctaFx India Pvt Ltd, OctaFx, and their entities have cheated investors in the guise of forex trading, thereby earning a profit of more than Rs 500 crore from Indian region."

A portion of these funds were layered through the web of complex transactions with the help of shell entities and remitted abroad to its related entities in the garb of bogus freight services and import of services, the probe agency said.

The search operations unveiled a network of chartered accountants and professionals, who gave fake certificates of remittances and facilitated bank accounts and companies for layering of such funds, the probe agency noted.
ED's investigation also revealed that the entire process of reflecting account numbers of dummy entities, managing the funds collected in these accounts and diversion of the same "are being managed and operated by owner of OctaFx group entities based in Spain, Russia, Georgia and Dubai".