Mosseri Warns Users: ‘Don’t Believe Everything You See’

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri addresses the platform’s growing fraud crisis, advising users to practice “healthy skepticism” as AI-driven scams become nearly indistinguishable from reality.

MENLO PARK — In a candid video update shared with his followers on Monday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri issued a direct warning regarding the rising tide of sophisticated fraud on the platform. The CEO acknowledged that the nature of online scams has evolved significantly, urging the community to abandon the old adage of “seeing is believing” in favor of a new era of vigilance.

The Rise of ‘Hyper-Realistic’ Scams

Mosseri highlighted that the days of easily spotted, typo-ridden phishing attempts are largely over. They have been replaced by high-tech deception powered by generative Artificial Intelligence. He specifically pointed to the proliferation of deepfake videos featuring trusted public figures—from finance gurus to entertainment celebrities—appearing to endorse fraudulent investment schemes or giveaways.

“If something looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is,” Mosseri stated, noting that bad actors are using technology to clone voices and likenesses with frightening accuracy. He emphasized that users should no longer trust a video simply because it appears to show a famous person speaking; the context must be verified.

The Battle for Verification

The warning comes as Meta faces increasing pressure from regulators in the European Union and the United States to crack down on consumer fraud. Mosseri admitted that while Instagram‘s automated defense systems block millions of fake accounts daily, the speed at which scammers adapt requires users to be the “last line of defense.”

He advised users to check the “About this Account” section before engaging with commerce or investment offers. Accounts that were created recently but have suddenly amassed large followings, or those that have changed their usernames multiple times, were flagged as major warning signs.

Meta’s Countermeasures

To combat this, Mosseri pointed to Instagram‘s new safety features, including stricter AI-labeling requirements and enhanced “impersonation detection” tools that automatically flag profiles pretending to be businesses or friends. However, he was transparent about the limitations of technology, framing the issue as an ongoing arms race between security engineers and criminal syndicates.

“We are building better shields,” he concluded, “but we need you to keep your guard up. Do not send money, and do not click links from sources you haven’t triple-checked.”