The UAE’s cybersecurity authority has urged residents to remain vigilant as increasingly sophisticated AI-powered scams are becoming more difficult to identify, posing heightened risks to individuals and organizations across digital platforms.
UAE Cyber Authority Cautions Public Over Hard-to-Detect AI-Driven Fraud.
UAE Cybersecurity Authorities Sound Alarm Over Growing Threat of AI-Driven Fraud
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is reshaping the digital world in unprecedented ways, bringing efficiency, innovation, and convenience to nearly every sector. However, alongside these benefits, AI is also being exploited by cybercriminals to develop more sophisticated and harder-to-detect forms of digital fraud. Recognising the seriousness of this evolving threat, the UAE Cybersecurity Council (CSC) has intensified efforts to educate the public about AI-enabled scams and the heightened risks they pose.
As part of its ongoing national awareness initiatives, the Council has placed renewed emphasis on informing individuals, businesses, and institutions about how artificial intelligence is transforming cybercrime. These efforts are being delivered through the Council’s weekly public awareness programme, “Cyber Pulse,” which focuses on emerging digital threats and practical ways to counter them.
AI’s transformative impact on cyber fraud
According to the CSC, artificial intelligence has fundamentally altered the nature of fraudulent activity. Processes that once required extensive technical expertise, significant time investment, and large-scale coordination can now be automated and executed almost instantaneously. AI tools allow malicious actors to generate highly convincing fraudulent material at scale, dramatically increasing both the reach and effectiveness of cybercrime operations.
One of the most concerning aspects of AI-driven fraud is its ability to convincingly mimic authenticity. Fraudsters can now use advanced algorithms to replicate human voices, recreate corporate branding, manipulate images, and produce professional-grade text and graphics. These tools make it increasingly difficult for individuals to distinguish between legitimate communications and fraudulent ones.
Scams are no longer riddled with obvious spelling mistakes, poor formatting, or suspicious language. Instead, AI enables criminals to produce messages that are polished, contextually accurate, and tailored to specific individuals or organisations. In many cases, fraudulent communications are designed to appear as urgent security alerts, payment requests, or account verification notices—messages that pressure recipients into acting quickly without careful scrutiny.
The rise of hyper-realistic phishing attacks
The Cybersecurity Council highlighted that AI-powered phishing has become one of the most prevalent and dangerous forms of digital fraud. Estimates suggest that such attacks are now linked to more than 90 percent of reported digital security breaches globally. This dramatic rise is largely attributed to AI’s ability to remove traditional red flags that users once relied upon to identify scams.
Using AI, cybercriminals can analyse publicly available data to personalise phishing messages, making them more relevant and believable to the recipient. Emails, messages, and fake websites are often customised to reflect the recipient’s language preferences, professional role, or recent online activity. This level of personalisation significantly increases the likelihood that victims will engage with fraudulent content.
Furthermore, AI tools can generate malicious links that closely resemble legitimate URLs, mimicking trusted brands, banks, government entities, and service providers. When combined with convincing visuals and realistic messaging, these links can deceive even digitally savvy users.
Blurring the line between real and fake
The CSC warned that as AI technology continues to advance, the distinction between genuine and fabricated digital content is becoming increasingly difficult to discern. Voice cloning, deepfake videos, and synthetic images can be deployed to impersonate company executives, government officials, or trusted contacts, creating scenarios that feel entirely authentic.
This erosion of trust in digital communication poses a serious challenge not only to individuals but also to organisations and public institutions. Fraudsters can exploit this uncertainty to manipulate victims into sharing confidential information, transferring funds, or granting access to secure systems.
The Council stressed that this evolving threat landscape requires a fundamental shift in how users approach digital interactions. Blind trust in familiar logos, voices, or writing styles is no longer sufficient. Instead, a heightened level of skepticism and verification must become standard practice.
The need for stronger defensive capabilities
In response to these growing risks, the CSC emphasised the importance of adopting advanced defensive measures that match the sophistication of AI-enabled fraud. Traditional cybersecurity tools alone may no longer be adequate to address the complexity and speed of modern cyber threats.
Strengthening digital defence capabilities involves deploying intelligent detection systems that use data analytics, machine learning, and behavioural analysis to identify suspicious activity. These systems can help detect account takeovers, identify the use of synthetic or fake identities, and flag abnormal transaction patterns.
Enhanced detection accuracy is particularly important in reducing false positives, which can overwhelm security teams and delay responses to genuine threats. By improving prioritisation and investigation workflows, organisations can allocate limited resources more effectively, even under budgetary or staffing constraints.
The CSC also noted that maintaining payment security is a critical priority, as financial fraud remains one of the most common objectives of cybercriminals. AI-powered tools can assist in monitoring transactions in real time, identifying anomalies, and preventing unauthorised transfers before losses occur.
Awareness as the first line of defence
Despite the importance of technological solutions, the Council underscored that cybersecurity ultimately begins with individual awareness. Building a strong cyber culture among the public is essential to reducing the success rate of AI-driven scams.
Individuals must understand that not everything they see online is real, even if it appears highly polished and professional. Products, advertisements, and promotional content circulating on social media may be enhanced or entirely generated by AI, creating an illusion of authenticity that does not reflect reality.
This awareness is particularly important in an era where social media platforms are widely used for commerce, communication, and information sharing. Fraudsters often exploit these platforms to reach large audiences quickly, using AI-generated visuals and narratives to gain trust.
Practical guidance for avoiding AI-driven scams
Through the “Cyber Pulse” campaign, the Cybersecurity Council has provided a range of practical recommendations to help users protect themselves against AI-enabled fraud. These guidelines are designed to be accessible and actionable, empowering individuals to make safer digital choices.
Key recommendations include exercising caution when encountering links from unknown or unverified sources. Users are encouraged to avoid clicking on links embedded in unsolicited messages, even if they appear to come from reputable organisations.
Careful review of message content remains important, as subtle spelling or grammatical inconsistencies can still be indicators of fraud. However, the CSC cautioned that the absence of such errors does not guarantee authenticity, given the capabilities of modern AI tools.
Verifying information through official channels is another critical step. When receiving requests for sensitive information or urgent action, users should independently confirm the legitimacy of the request by contacting the organisation directly using trusted contact details.
The Council strongly advocates for the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA), noting that it can prevent more than 90 percent of attempted fraud cases. MFA adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity through multiple methods, such as a password combined with a one-time code or biometric verification.
Installing and regularly updating security software is also essential. These tools help detect malicious activity, block harmful content, and protect devices from viruses and other forms of malware.
Online safety as a national priority
The CSC emphasised that online safety has become a critical and ongoing challenge, particularly as digital transformation accelerates across all sectors of society. Cyber threats are no longer limited to isolated incidents; they represent systemic risks that can impact economic stability, personal privacy, and national security.
Preventive measures adopted by individuals complement broader government efforts to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. Public awareness campaigns play a vital role in ensuring that technological and policy advancements are supported by informed and responsible user behaviour.
The continued evolution of the “Cyber Pulse” initiative
Now in its second year, the “Cyber Pulse” awareness campaign continues to expand its reach across social media and digital platforms. The initiative reflects the UAE’s long-term commitment to fostering a secure and resilient digital environment.
By delivering regular, timely messages on emerging cyber risks, the campaign aims to keep cybersecurity at the forefront of public consciousness. Its content is designed to evolve alongside the threat landscape, addressing new challenges as they arise and reinforcing best practices.
Building trust in the digital ecosystem
The Cybersecurity Council noted that these efforts align with the UAE’s broader vision of building confidence in the digital ecosystem. Trust is a cornerstone of digital innovation, and maintaining that trust requires proactive measures to protect users from harm.
Encouraging responsible digital behaviour, promoting cybersecurity education within families, and embedding best practices into everyday online activity are all central to this vision. As digital services become increasingly integrated into daily life, safeguarding privacy and security is essential to ensuring inclusive and sustainable digital growth.
Conclusion
The rise of AI-enabled fraud represents one of the most complex cybersecurity challenges of the modern era. While artificial intelligence offers immense potential for progress, its misuse by cybercriminals underscores the need for vigilance, adaptability, and continuous education.
Through initiatives such as “Cyber Pulse,” the UAE Cybersecurity Council is reinforcing the message that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. By combining advanced technological defences, strong regulatory oversight, and widespread public awareness, the nation aims to stay ahead of evolving digital threats and protect the safety, privacy, and trust of all users in an increasingly interconnected world.
