DUBAI, 6th November, 2026 (WAM) — The Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) has concluded its “Don’t Get Played” campaign, launched during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, following strong community engagement, and signed seven memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation.
The campaign focused on raising awareness of evolving cyber fraud tactics, including identity impersonation, fraudulent messages, misleading offers, and AI-generated deepfakes, helping the public recognise scams and make safer decisions online.
A defining feature of the campaign was “Yado Salama”, a virtual Emirati grandmother embodying wisdom and experience, who delivered cybersecurity awareness messages through a blend of Emirati identity and modern technology.
Over five weeks, Yado Salama progressively revealed four fictional scammer characters representing different fraud tactics, helping audiences recognise warning signs and verify suspicious requests under the slogan “Pause. Verify. Don’t Get Played.”
The campaign recorded 15,134 website users and 22,003 sessions through digital content and interactive experiences. Among its key initiatives was a QR-code awareness experiment that simulated fraudulent offers through a fictional free-coffee promotion, highlighting the risks associated with untrusted links and offers.
DESC also organised an interactive event at Al Khawaneej Walk from 22nd to 30th October, where visitors tested their ability to identify cyber scams. More than 30 cafés and restaurants across Dubai partnered with the Centre to bring cybersecurity awareness into everyday settings.
The campaign featured four competitions attracting more than 500 entries, with a combined prize pool of AED230,000. The competitions engaged content creators, university students, cybersecurity professionals, and the wider public, encouraging them to use creativity, artificial intelligence, and technical skills to develop awareness content and participate in specialised cybersecurity challenges.
To sustain the campaign’s impact, DESC signed seven MoUs with partner organisations to expand cooperation in cybersecurity awareness, training and capability development.
The agreements cover the development of national and specialised cybersecurity talent, training programmes, workshops, conferences, and cyber simulation exercises, alongside knowledge exchange and the sharing of best practices to strengthen cyber readiness.
Amer Sharaf, CEO of Cybersecurity Systems and Services at the DESC, said, “The campaign demonstrated the importance of delivering cybersecurity awareness through innovative approaches that resonate with the community. Yado Salama helped simplify key messages by connecting them with everyday situations, strengthening the public’s ability to recognise cyber fraud tactics.”
Sharaf added that the seven MoUs will support capability development, expertise sharing and cooperation with partners, reinforcing Dubai’s efforts to become the safest city in cyberspace.
The closing ceremony also recognised the campaign’s strategic and supporting partners for their contributions to its success and community awareness objectives.
Source: Emirates News Agency