Dubai Electronic Security Center Ends Anti-Fraud Campaign With Seven Cybersecurity Agreements

The campaign, run to coincide with Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, focused on the fraud methods residents are most likely to meet: identity impersonation, scam messages, misleading offers and deepfakes made with artificial intelligence. Its goal was to help people spot attempts to deceive them and make safer decisions online, the centre said.

The agreements are intended to give the campaign a longer life. According to the centre, they cover developing national and specialist talent, running training programmes, workshops, conferences and cyber simulation exercises, and sharing expertise and best practice. The partners were not named in the announcement.

The centre reported that the campaign website drew 15,134 users and 22,003 sessions. One of its interactive elements was a QR code exercise that mimicked a scam by offering a free coffee, designed to show how easily people follow untrusted links and offers.

The centre also ran an interactive event at Al Khawaneej Walk from October 22 to 30, where visitors could test whether they could recognise online fraud attempts, and worked with more than 30 cafes and restaurants across Dubai to put its messages in front of customers.

Four competitions attracted more than 500 entries, with total prizes of Dh230,000. They were aimed at content creators, university students, cybersecurity specialists and the general public, and encouraged entrants to use creative work, AI and technical skills to produce awareness content or take part in specialist cyber challenges.

Amer Sharaf, executive director of the cyber systems and services sector at the Dubai Electronic Security Center, said the campaign showed the value of delivering cyber awareness in ways close to everyday life. He said the campaign character "Yeddo Salama" helped simplify its messages and link them to daily situations, improving people's ability to recognise online fraud.

Partners and supporters were honoured at a closing ceremony, where the seven agreements were announced. The centre did not give a timetable for the training programmes and simulation exercises they cover.