UAE Authorities Keep Warning About Deepfakes. Here Is What Residents Should Actually Do

Updated September 2026: UAE authorities have issued repeated warnings in 2026 about AI-generated fake content, deepfakes, phishing and impersonation. The earlier version of this article mixed those real warnings with several dramatic statistics that we could not verify strongly enough. Those numbers have been removed.

The useful part of the story is simpler: realistic fake audio, video and messages are becoming easier to produce, and UAE authorities are telling residents not to rely on appearance or familiarity alone. Verify the source before you believe, share, approve or pay.

What UAE Authorities Actually Warned About in 2026

On 11 March 2026, Digital Dubai and the Al Ameen Service released an awareness message about AI-generated images and videos spreading during times of crisis. Their advice was direct: rely on official sources for news, verify images and videos before sharing them, and do not help fabricated content travel further.

On 25 March, Digital Dubai and the National Media Council reinforced the same message with a campaign built around deepfake versions of public officials. The point was deliberately unsettling: in the age of generative AI, a familiar face and a familiar voice are no longer enough to establish authenticity.

The UAE Cybersecurity Council also urged the public to be cautious with deepfake videos and to rely on official verification for content attributed to public figures or national institutions.

In May, the Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Centre, working with the Department of Government Enablement, published cybersecurity guidance for periods of crisis that highlighted AI-enabled and other digital threats that can intensify when people are under pressure and information is moving quickly.

Deepfakes Are Only One Part of the Problem

It is easy to focus on spectacular fake videos. For most residents, the more practical risk is impersonation: a message that looks official, a voice that sounds familiar, a fake login request, or a believable instruction to move money or disclose information.

Digital Dubai and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority warned in March about phishing attempts targeting UAE PASS users through fraudulent messages and links. Some attempts were designed to obtain personal information; others tried to persuade users to approve login or verification requests they had not initiated.

The authorities specifically advised users to reject unexpected UAE PASS verification or login requests, avoid suspicious links, check website addresses and never share login credentials or verification codes.

Do Not Treat Visual Clues as Proof

Older deepfake advice often focused on strange blinking, bad lip movement, distorted hands or robotic voices. Those clues can still be useful, but they are becoming a weak first line of defence because generated media keeps improving.

The safer rule is to verify the context and source, not merely the pixels. A perfect-looking video can still be fake. A convincing voice can still be cloned. A polished email can still come from an attacker.

The UAE’s official AI resources continue to include a DeepFake Guide explaining the risk of fabricated audio and video and how residents can protect themselves and report suspicious content.

The Verification Habit That Matters Most

If someone contacts you with an unusual request, verify them independently before acting. Do not call the number inside the suspicious message. Do not reply to the same account asking whether it is really them. Use a phone number, official app, website or contact method you already know.

This is especially important for requests involving money, passwords, one-time codes, UAE PASS approvals, bank details, cryptocurrency, confidential company information or urgent changes to payment instructions.

The same principle appears in law-enforcement guidance outside the UAE as well. The FBI’s guidance on AI-assisted impersonation tells people to independently identify a trusted phone number and contact the person directly rather than trusting the incoming message or voice.

Six Practical Checks for UAE Residents

• Money request? Verify the person or organization through a separate trusted channel before sending anything.
• Unexpected UAE PASS prompt? Cancel it. Do not approve a login or verification request you did not initiate.
• Official-looking link? Open the government, bank or company website yourself instead of following the supplied link.
• Urgent voice note or video? Treat the urgency as a reason to verify, not a reason to move faster.
• Breaking-news image or clip? Check official UAE sources before forwarding it, especially during emergencies or regional crises.
• Someone asks for a code, password or credential? Do not share it merely because the caller knows your name, sounds familiar or appears to represent an authority.

What We Removed From the Earlier Version

The previous article cited precise claims including a 32% rise in UAE phishing incidents, a 340% surge in AI-driven breaches, a claim that more than 75% of UAE breaches originated from phishing or fraudulent messages, and a specific audio length supposedly sufficient to clone a voice. Those figures came from secondary or weakly documented sources and were not necessary to explain the risk.

We also removed the old USD 35 million voice-cloning anecdote from the main argument. A historical case can illustrate what is possible, but repeating a dramatic number without a clean primary-source chain makes the article weaker, not stronger.

The warning does not need inflated statistics. UAE authorities are already telling residents that AI-generated impersonation and misinformation are real enough to require verification habits now.

The Bottom Line

Deepfakes change one basic assumption of digital life: seeing and hearing someone is no longer the same as verifying them.

That does not mean distrusting everything. It means changing the proof required for high-stakes actions. When money, access or sensitive information is involved, use a second channel. When a video claims to show a public figure or crisis event, check an official source. When UAE PASS asks for something you did not start, reject it.

The best defence is not becoming a deepfake expert. It is building a habit where important actions require independent verification.

Sources

• Digital Dubai and Al Ameen awareness campaign, reported 11 March 2026 by Khaleej Times: warning against sharing unverified AI-generated images and videos — khaleejtimes.com

• Digital Dubai, National Media Council and UAE Cybersecurity Council campaign, reported 25 March 2026 by Khaleej Times: “Before you believe, verify” — khaleejtimes.com

• Digital Dubai and TDRA, 19 March 2026: phishing campaigns targeting UAE PASS users — digitaldubai.ae

• UAE Government official AI resources: DeepFake Guide and other AI risk resources — u.ae

• Abu Dhabi crisis cybersecurity guidance, reported 1 May 2026 by Gulf News: six prevalent cyber threats during emergencies — gulfnews.com

• FBI: guidance on verifying AI-assisted impersonation through an independently sourced contact channel — fbi.gov

Robius.news — Dubai, UAE — 2026 | Built to be first. Built to be trusted.