Influencers and brands turn to social media to raise cyber awareness

According to data from payment card network Mastercard’s SME cybersecurity report 2025, exclusively shared with Mint, 41% of Indians turn to social media to seek information about cybersecurity and its best practices.

To keep up with this demand, the content around cybersecurity in India has grown significantly in the past two to three years. Cybersecurity experts are turning influencers to raise awareness about different kinds of attacks and trends in the industry.

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Take Amit Yadav, a special task force officer from Gurugram who, as a part-time influencer, has over 1.2 million followers on his Instagram handle@vardiwala0007. In June 2024, Yadav, who was with the cyber police department in Haryana’s Rewari, started creating short clips explaining real-life cybercrime cases he was working on or encountered. He took the initiative after his own relative, an uncle, faced a cybercrime incident.

“My uncle, who lives in a village in Haryana, has faced cyber attacks. But he has as much access to social media as any other person. So, rather than using social media to share comedy videos, I thought it could be put to better use by sharing information from my real-life experiences of the cases I work on,” Yadav said.

Podcasts on cybercrime

Another cybersecurity expert, Shubham Singh, gained popularity after working on the Bois locker room case relating to an Instagram group chat where images of underage girls were circulated, attracting lewd comments. Singh has 43,200 followers on his Instagram handle@shubhamcyberexpert.

Singh speaks about cybersecurity on various platforms, including some popular podcasts, and is approached by brands such as Physics Wallah and HDFC Bank to raise awareness about cybercriminals’ latest modus operandi. However, he believes the discussion on cybersecurity on social media is not enough, especially to keep up with the dynamic nature of the attacks, and there is a long way to go.

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“Since the past couple of years, cyber crimes are rising on a daily basis and getting more sophisticated, but there isn’t enough discussion going on about it on social media platforms,” he said.“I have been approached multiple times by my viewers, who tell me that they landed in situations similar to the ones mentioned in my videos, and the knowledge about cybercrime prevented a loss for them. If I can spread awareness within my community, there are many others with a larger following than mine who can initiate such conversations on their social media.”

Cybersecurity firms such as Quick Heal, BFSI companies such as HDFC Bank, and even telecom majors such as Airtel are latching on to the trend and have started working closely with influencers to raise awareness about cybercrimes.

HDFC has created ‘Vigil Aunty, ’ a social media persona played by comedian Anu Menon. She speaks about secure banking, possible banking frauds, and cyber crimes. She has 102,000 followers.

Vulnerable groups

“India has witnessed an alarming rise in cyber fraud in recent years, ranging from digital arrests to investment traps to OTP frauds. Between January and April 2024, more than 740,000 complaints were registered on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, reflecting a 113% surge from previous years. These complaints often targeted individuals through emotional manipulation, using fear, hope, or greed as bait,” said Ravi Santhanam, group head, chief marketing officer and head of direct-to-consumer business at HDFC Bank.

Santhanam points out that youngsters are a vulnerable group that frequently falls prey to cybercrime, and thus, social media is the perfect platform to reach out to them and disseminate information on cyber threats.

“Digital frauds today are no longer limited to a few demographics. We have seen a sharp rise in cases involving younger users, and to stay relevant and proactive, we need to be present where our audiences already are—on their phones, in their feeds, and in their language,” Santhanam said.

Santhanam recounts, “So far, with the Vigil Aunty campaign, we have reached 343 million people, received 541 million video views and accumulated 15.5 million engagements, with 82% positive sentiment…Beyond digital metrics, the on-ground impact is tangible. We have addressed over 60 types of fraud, and more than 1 million people have joined our ‘Vigil Army’ WhatsApp community, a space where they stay informed and help protect others.”

Malware attacks

Quick Heal Technologies, a cybersecurity firm that recorded 369 million malware detections in 2024, amounting to 702 attacks on average every minute, stresses that cyber threats are evolving, and often, human error is the weakest link. To solve this, the firm stresses the use of social media to simplify technical cybersecurity concepts for laypeople.

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“While cybersecurity content in India is growing, there’s still a significant gap in how effectively it connects with everyday users. Much of it remains too technical or inaccessible to the average person, especially those in tier 2, 3, and rural areas,” said Vishal Salvi, chief executive officer of Quick Heal Technologies.

“Influencers and podcasters play a critical bridging role between cybersecurity experts and everyday users. Their storytelling ability, relatability and reach make them ideal partners for educating the public. They simplify jargon, localize narratives, and bring urgency to topics that might otherwise be overlooked,” Salvi added.