The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), established under the Companies Act, 2013, investigates and prosecutes complex corporate frauds under Section 212 of the Act. In the course of its investigations, SFIO issues Summons and Notices under Section 217. To prevent misuse or impersonation, SFIO has introduced technical and procedural safeguards. All Summons and Notices are now digitally generated, containing a QR code and a unique Document Identification Number (DIN). Recipients can verify authenticity either by scanning the QR code or through SFIO’s official website, ensuring instant confirmation of genuineness. Officers are instructed to issue only digitally generated communications except in exceptional cases. Additionally, a transparent, multi-layer review mechanism has been established to oversee the issuance process. These measures are designed to protect citizens from fraudulent communications while enhancing accountability, oversight, and trust in SFIO’s procedural integrity during corporate fraud investigations.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
SFIO institutes safeguards to prevent misuse of summons and notices
Digitally generated notices with QR codes, DINs and online verification systems introduced to ensure authenticity and protect citizens from impersonation
Posted On: 21 NOV 2025 2:25PM by PIB Delhi
The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), established under the Companies Act, 2013, investigates and prosecutes complex corporate frauds assigned under section 212 of the Companies Act.
During the course of investigation, Summons/Notices are issued by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) as per the provisions of Section 217 of the Companies Act, 2013.
In this context, SFIO has instituted the following set of technical and procedural safeguards to prevent impersonation or misuse of Summons/Notices.
Summons/Notices issued by SFIO are digitally generated and contain a QR code and a unique document identification number (DIN). The officers of SFIO are mandated to issue only digitally generated Summons/Notices except in certain rare and exceptional circumstances.
Receiver of Summons/Notices issued by SFIO can verify its authenticity through any of the following 2 options:
Option 1 – Verification by scanning QR code:
Option 2 – Verification through SFIO’s website:
The system of online verification of Summons/Notices issued by SFIO is put in place to help the receiver to instantly verify the authenticity of the communication received.
These verification systems have been put in place to give citizens immediate assurance that any communication they receive is genuine and to prevent impersonation or misuse.
Further, to enhance oversight, a transparent multi-layer review mechanism is in place at SFIO to oversee the issuance of Summons and Notices.
