At a time cyber crimes and scams are on the rise, a recent government survey shows that a majority of citizens are not aware of the redressal mechanisms towards these issues.
As per MOSPI’s new Comprehensive Modular Telcom Survey conducted between January to March 2025, among those over 15 years of age, just about 23 per cent men and 13 per cent of women have the ability to “complain about cybercrime/report cyber fraud” in the official cybercrime reporting portal.
Combining for males and females, this metric stands at 18 per cent across India. It is slightly higher in urban settings at 28 per cent and lower in rural settings at 13 per cent.
Further, the survey shows that people of Delhi (35 per cent), Telangana (27 per cent) , Karnataka (26 per cent), Kerala (25 per cent) and Maharashtra (23 per cent) have the highest ability of people to report on cybercrimes among large states.
“India’s vision for a Viksit Bharat by 2047 must be anchored in a digitally secure, Cyber Surakshit Bharat. With cyber threats projected to reach 17 trillion by 2047, inclusive cyber awareness is more urgent than ever,” Piyush Bajpai, Partner, Deloitte India, said.
“Many citizens still face challenges in reporting cybercrimes, especially financial frauds that require swift action, due to limited digital literacy, cumbersome reporting platforms, and low awareness, particularly among older and vulnerable groups. A citizen-first, multi-pronged strategy is needed: localized awareness campaigns, multilingual mobile-friendly tools, AI-powered support, and seamless integration with banks and UPI apps,” he adds.
Transparent complaint tracking, cyber help desks, and digital safety education in schools will further strengthen outreach, he adds.
The CMS: Telecom survey was conducted in 2,395 villages and 1,987 urban blocks covering 34,950 households (19,071 in rural areas and 15,879 in urban areas) and 1,42,065 persons (82,573 in rural areas and 59,492 in urban).