The Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) has launched the cybersecurity campaign “Don’t Get Played”, running throughout October as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

The campaign aims to help community members recognise common scam tactics and warning signs. It also encourages one simple habit before responding to anything suspicious: Pause. Verify. Don’t Get Played.

As part of the campaign, DESC is also hosting competitions with a total prize pool of AED230,000. The competitions target university students, content creators, community members, and Security Operations Centre (SOC) teams from Dubai Government entities.

Participants are invited to apply their skills and ideas to develop innovative cybersecurity content and solutions.

According to data from Sumsub, sophisticated, multi step fraud attempts detected by the digital identity verification and cybersecurity platform increased by 180 percent in 2025 compared with 2024. These attempts rose from 10 percent to 28 percent of all identity fraud cases detected.

Against this backdrop, the cybersecurity campaign highlights several warning signs that may indicate a scam. These include urgency and pressure, requests for secrecy, unusual demands, and attempts to prevent people from independently verifying a request.

The campaign also addresses increasingly sophisticated methods, including impersonation, fraudulent messages, and AI manipulated voices, images, and documents.

At the centre of the campaign is “Yado Salama”, a virtual Emirati grandmother known for her sharp instincts and ability to spot suspicious activity.

Through a series of scenarios, Yado Salama helps community members identify signs that could reveal a scam. The campaign reinforces the importance of pausing and verifying information before taking action.

Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, CEO of the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, said, “As digital technologies continue to evolve, scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and convincing. At the Dubai Electronic Security Centre, 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.”

Throughout October, the cybersecurity campaign will reach the community through social media, digital channels, outdoor advertising, and community activations. DESC is carrying out the campaign in collaboration with partners from across the government and private sectors.

Full competition details, eligibility requirements, and registration information are available at dontgetplayed.ae.

The cybersecurity campaign encourages community members to pause, verify information through trusted sources, and avoid getting played by increasingly sophisticated scams.

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