Launched during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the campaign features community and student competitions with a total prize pool of AED 230,000
Dubai, UAE – 1October 2026: The Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) has launched "Don't Get Played", a cybersecurity awareness campaign running throughout October as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The campaign aims to help members of the community recognise common scam tactics and warning signs, while encouraging one simple and effective habit before responding to anything suspicious: Pause. Verify. Don't Get Played.
The campaign also features a series of competitions with a total prize pool of AED 230,000, open to university students, content creators and members of the UAE community, alongside Security Operations Center (SOC) teams from Dubai Government entities. The competitions invite participants to apply their skills and ideas to create innovative cybersecurity content and solutions. Full competition details, eligibility requirements and registration are available at dontgetplayed.ae.
Every Scam Has a Tell
According to data from Sumsub, a global digital identity verification and cybersecurity platform, sophisticated, multi-step fraud attempts detected by the platform increased by 180% in 2025 compared with 2024, rising from 10% to 28% of all identity fraud cases detected. This reflects a broader shift towards increasingly complex and sophisticated fraud methods.Sumsub
Against this evolving landscape, from impersonation and fraudulent messages to AI-manipulated voices, images and documents, "Don't Get Played" focuses on the warning signs that can give a scam away. These include urgency and pressure, requests for secrecy, unusual demands, or attempts to prevent someone from independently verifying a request.
At the heart of the campaign is "Yado Salama", a virtual Emirati grandmother whose sharp instincts make her difficult to fool. Through a series of scenarios, Yado Salama helps the community recognise the signs that could reveal a scam and reinforces the importance of pausing and verifying before taking action.
His Excellency Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, CEO of the Dubai Electronic Security Center, said:
"As digital technologies continue to evolve, scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and convincing. At the Dubai Electronic Security Center, we are committed to equipping members of the community with the knowledge and confidence to respond to these attempts safely. Through the "Don't Get Played" campaign, we are encouraging everyone to adopt a simple but powerful habit: pause before you act and verify through a trusted source.
As we mark the Year of the Family, the campaign also reminds us of the role each of us can play in protecting those around us. Through these efforts, we continue working towards making Dubai the safest city in cyberspace and building a secure, resilient and confident digital community."
Throughout October, "Don't Get Played" will reach the community through social media, digital channels, outdoor advertising and community activations, in collaboration with partners from across the government and private sectors.