New Delhi: In a first-of-its-kind public-private collaboration, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has partnered with Amazon India to launch a nationwide campaign against online frauds and scams. The initiative, titled #ScamSmartIndia, seeks to educate and empower consumers to recognize and avoid cyber fraud, especially during the high-risk festive shopping season.
With online frauds accounting for over half of all fraud cases in India—as highlighted in a recent McAfee report—the campaign arrives at a critical juncture. The collaboration underscores a joint commitment to building a safer digital ecosystem by combining government-backed cybercrime expertise with Amazon’s consumer reach and technological capabilities.
Multi-pronged Strategy to Drive Consumer Awareness
Under this initiative, I4C and Amazon India will roll out a series of national and regional campaigns over the coming months. Key components include:
- Engaging social media content simplifying complex fraud scenarios into easy-to-digest safety tips
- Wide-reaching digital ads featuring consumer safety advisories
- Educational flyers included in Amazon deliveries, turning each package into a personal safety reminder
- A ‘Scam-Free September’ campaign offering weekly multilingual tips to help consumers shop safely
- A national hackathon aimed at developing AI-powered scam detection and prevention tools
Government and Industry Leaders Speak
Sh Nishant Kumar, Director, I4C, said, “Shopping is a natural part of every Indian household in the festive season. It is also a time of heightened fraudulent activity by scamsters who try to dupe consumers, particularly vulnerable groups like first-time internet users and senior citizens. This partnership with Amazon will create awareness for consumers on how to detect frauds and avoid falling prey to them. We are happy to work together with Amazon in India to further the objective of preventing online scams and enabling a safe shopping experience.”
Echoing the commitment to consumer safety, Rakesh Bakshi, Vice President – Legal, Amazon India, stated, “At Amazon, customer trust is our highest priority. When scammers misuse names of known brands to lure customers to divulge, they don’t just harm businesses – they damage consumer confidence in the entire digital economy of the country. Through our partnership with I4C, we want to take proactive steps to create practical solutions that educate and empower shoppers to recognize, avoid, and report scams.”
Strengthening Digital Trust
The campaign builds upon Amazon’s ongoing consumer protection initiatives, including its engagement with industry bodies to conduct digital safety workshops across India. The partnership with I4C aims to extend these efforts to grassroots levels and vulnerable demographics such as first-time internet users and senior citizens.
