India Launches Nationwide Cyber Campaign Against AI Scams, Deepfakes and Malicious APKs

The Data Security Council of India has launched a nationwide cybersecurity awareness campaign, “Be Cyber Street Smart”, focusing on everyday digital safety and emerging threats including malicious APK fraud, AI-powered voice-cloning scams, real-time deepfakes and digital arrest scams.

The month-long initiative, launched for Cyber Security Awareness Month 2026, brings together government bodies, financial institutions, technology companies and other organisations to promote safer digital practices across India.

What Is ‘Be Cyber Street Smart’?

The campaign is designed to make cybersecurity easier for ordinary users to understand, remember and apply in their daily digital lives.

It reimagines Kathputli, India’s traditional string-puppet storytelling art, for the digital age. By using familiar and culturally rooted forms of communication, the campaign seeks to explain cyber safety in a simple and relatable manner.

The initiative was inaugurated at the Bombay Stock Exchange by Maharashtra Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar. Senior representatives from BSE, SEBI, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and the Maharashtra Cyber department were also present.

The launch included participation in BSE’s “Ring the Bell” ceremony, reflecting a joint government and industry commitment towards a safer digital ecosystem. The campaign’s Cyber Anthem was also launched at the event.

Which Cyber Threats Will the Campaign Cover?

Throughout October, the campaign will focus on practical cybersecurity habits involving mobile applications, email, social media and digital payments.

A major part of the initiative will deal with emerging forms of cyber fraud. These include malicious APK scams, where harmful application files can be used to target users, as well as AI-powered voice-cloning fraud.

The campaign will also raise awareness about real-time deepfakes, digital arrest scams and other forms of AI-enabled cyber fraud.

The focus reflects the changing nature of online scams, where fraudsters can increasingly use sophisticated digital techniques to impersonate people, create deceptive content or pressure victims into acting on fraudulent instructions.

How Will Cyber Safety Messages Reach People?

Instead of limiting the initiative to conventional awareness material, the campaign will use several accessible and shareable formats.

These include Screensavers Manch, Poster Chaupal, scam-decoding infographics, Cyber Kathas, stickers and Cyber Pathshala ki Kitaab.

The use of different formats is intended to make cybersecurity information easier to communicate and remember. The campaign combines traditional storytelling approaches with information about modern digital threats, particularly those affecting people through smartphones, social media, payments and other everyday online services.

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Who Is Supporting the Campaign?

The initiative is supported by government bodies including CERT-In, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Government of Maharashtra.

It also brings together organisations from the banking, financial services, technology, cybersecurity and education sectors.

Participants named in the campaign include 63SATS, Axis Bank, Chitkara University, CRED, HDFC Bank, IIFL Finance, Lloyds Technology Centre, PayPal, Protectt.ai, Punjab National Bank, QRC Assurance, QuillAI, SQ1 Security, Target, Thales, Veeam and ZS Associates, along with BSE and BSECCL.

The broad participation is aimed at combining government and industry efforts to strengthen public understanding of digital risks.

Why Is Everyday Cyber Safety a Key Focus?

The campaign places particular emphasis on areas where people regularly interact with technology, including mobile apps, email, social media and digital payments.

These everyday digital services can also become channels through which cyber fraud attempts reach users. The campaign therefore aims to help citizens recognise common warning signs and adopt safer practices while using digital services.

Its focus goes beyond conventional cyber threats by addressing scams that use artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Voice cloning and real-time deepfakes can make fraudulent communication more convincing, while malicious APKs and digital arrest scams can exploit users through different forms of deception.

By concentrating on practical habits rather than cybersecurity as a purely technical subject, the initiative seeks to make digital safety relevant to ordinary users.

Why Is Government-Industry Collaboration Important?

The campaign brings together public agencies and private organisations at a time when digital services are continuing to expand.

Government bodies contribute their role in cybersecurity awareness and coordination, while banks, technology companies, cybersecurity firms and other organisations can help carry safety messages into areas where consumers interact with digital systems.

The campaign seeks to strengthen public awareness and encourage responsible digital behaviour through this combined approach.

Its launch at the Bombay Stock Exchange also places financial and digital safety within the same broader conversation, particularly as online payments, banking services, mobile applications and social platforms increasingly form part of everyday digital activity.

The420 Takeaway: “Cyber Fraud Is Changing, and Awareness Has to Change With It”

Cyber safety awareness can no longer focus only on suspicious links, passwords and traditional phishing. Malicious APKs, AI voice cloning, real-time deepfakes and digital arrest scams show how fraud techniques are evolving. The “Be Cyber Street Smart” campaign seeks to bring these risks into everyday conversations and help users recognise threats across the digital services they routinely use.

About the author — Ayesha Aayat writes on cybercrime, digital safety, and emerging online threats. Her work focuses on public awareness, legal clarity, and technology-driven risks.