The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT) has received more than 12,650 complaints related to social media misuse and cybersecurity incidents in 2025.

According to Sri Lanka CERT, this represents a significant rise in online fraud, digital fraud, and cyber harassment when compared to prior years.

According to Charuka Damunupola, the Lead Information Security Engineer of Sri Lanka CERT, a significant proportion of the complaints involve fake accounts, hacked accounts, and financial scams carried out through social media platforms.

Hateful or abusive content and adults’ sexual harassment and related content also feature highly among the complaints. He also said that there has been a noticeable increase in general scams and the dissemination of false information, which affects both individuals and the general public.

Cybercriminals continue to employ increasingly sophisticated and fraudulent methods to take advantage of the growing reliance on digital platforms for communication, trade, and financial activities.

Particularly vulnerable groups, such as young people who might not be sufficiently informed about online safety procedures, elderly users, and first-time internet users, are frequently among the victims, it said.

Charuka Damunupola urges the public to remain vigilant, avoid sharing personal or financial information online, verify suspicious messages and links, and enable strong security measures such as two-factor authentication and secure passwords, the statement added.

In order to facilitate rapid response and mitigation, members of the public are also urged to promptly report cyber incidents to Sri Lanka CERT. To improve cyber resilience, public awareness, and digital safety throughout the nation, Sri Lanka CERT, the national authority for cybersecurity incident response, continues to collaborate closely with law enforcement organizations, service providers, and others, said Damunupola.