With the development of digital payments and online services, cyber fraud has become one of the most pressing threats facing users. Fraudsters are increasingly relying not on sophisticated technical attacks, but on the human factor: calls impersonating banks and government institutions, phishing links, social engineering, and attempts to gain access to bank cards and personal data. Therefore, protecting users should begin not only with technology, but also with their own knowledge and skills. This is how the idea of CyberWeek emerged — a joint project of UZCARD and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, aimed at fostering a culture of safe behavior in the digital environment and preventing cybercrime among the population. The project brought together the expertise of the financial and public sectors and reached communities across the regions. In 2025, CyberWeek was held in Fergana, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Nukus. In 2026, the initiative continued in the CyberWeek 2.0 format, expanding its geographic reach and partnership network to include the Central Bank and the Association of Mahallas of the Republic of Uzbekistan. New locations included Karshi, Namangan, Urgench, and Nurafshan. The main idea of the project is to make the complex topic of cybersecurity understandable to everyone and turn knowledge into a practical tool for protection.
Problem
Cybercrime is evolving faster than people are developing the habits needed to protect themselves in the digital environment. A person may use a secure banking service, yet still voluntarily share an SMS verification code or card details with a fraudster, or click on a phishing link. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, over the past six years, the number of citizen reports related to cybercrime has increased 48-fold, while financial losses from cybercrime amounted to more than UZS 2 trillion over the past year. At the same time, 82% of fraud cases and 76% of thefts are committed in cyberspace. Our task was not simply to tell people about existing threats, but to help them develop the ability to recognize fraud in real-life situations and know how to act before it is too late.
Solution
CyberWeek has evolved into a regional educational campaign, bringing together government institutions, the financial sector, cybersecurity experts, and the mahalla system. Instead of a traditional awareness campaign, a practical format was developed, enabling participants to learn about the most common fraud schemes and understand how to protect themselves and their loved ones. The program was built around two key areas. The first focused on professional engagement with representatives of the banking and public sectors. Specialists discussed current cyber threats, antifraud tools, methods for detecting fraudulent schemes, and mechanisms for cooperation between organizations. The second focused directly on the population through the mahalla system. In simple and accessible language, residents of mahallas across the regions were shown how to identify suspicious calls or messages, why SMS codes and card details should never be shared, how social engineering works, and what to do when faced with fraudsters. In this way, the project went beyond the professional community and became a large-scale tool for preventing cybercrime. CyberWeek 2.0 expanded this model by bringing the Central Bank and the Association of Mahallas of the Republic of Uzbekistan into the project, strengthening cooperation between the financial sector, government institutions, and local communities. The key outcome was not simply the creation of an information space around cybersecurity, but a system through which digital safety knowledge is delivered directly to people.
Results
Over two years, CyberWeek has grown from a standalone initiative into a large-scale regional program. The project reached 8 regional locations, bringing together UZCARD, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Central Bank, and the Association of Mahallas, while achieving a combined media and TV reach of around 10 million. In 2026, the integrated offline and online campaign in Kashkadarya and Namangan regions reached more than 2.92 million residents, with representatives of the “mahalla seven” engaged across 533 mahallas. More than 245,000 citizens received practical guidance on common cyber fraud schemes, while 8 creative videos were produced and displayed on digital screens at railway stations, in the metro, and on public transport. As a result, CyberWeek went beyond a traditional awareness campaign, turning digital safety knowledge into a practical skill — the ability to recognize a threat before handing over money or personal data to fraudsters.
