Dubai launches Dh230,000 campaign to help residents spot scams
Dubai: The Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) has launched a month-long campaign to help residents identify and avoid scams, including increasingly sophisticated fraud involving impersonation, deceptive messages and artificial intelligence-generated voices, images and documents. The “Don’t Get Played” campaign runs throughout October as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month and promotes a…
Dubai's Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) initiated a one-month-long campaign called "Don’t Get Played" in October to educate residents on identifying and preventing scams. The campaign, part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, promotes the message "Pause. Verify. Don’t Get Played" before responding to suspicious requests. Participants can enter competitions with a combined prize pool of Dh230,000, with categories for university students, content creators, community members, and Security Operations Centre (SOC) teams at Dubai Government entities.
The contest invites contestants to create innovative cybersecurity content and solutions. Key warning signs of scams include urgency, requests for secrecy, unusual demands, and attempts to prevent independent verification. Scammers now use AI-generated voices, images, and documents to create more convincing fraudulent requests. A virtual Emirati grandmother named "Yado Salama" illustrates how to spot these signs through various scenarios.
Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, CEO of the Dubai Electronic Security Center, emphasized the importance of taking time to verify information before acting. The campaign aims to build a secure, resilient, and confident digital community and strengthen Dubai's position as a safe city in cyberspace.
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