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TikTok trend using AI to fake ‘homeless intruders’ sparks panic, police warnings in US, UK
A viral TikTok trend using AI to fake “homeless intruders” has sparked panic and police warnings in the US and UK.
A new TikTok trend that uses artificial intelligence to stage fake encounters with “homeless intruders” has drawn widespread backlash and prompted police warnings in multiple countries.
The so-called “AI Homeless Man Prank” involves users generating AI images of a homeless man inside familiar settings - such as a bedroom, kitchen, or school - and sending them to family members or friends to provoke panic. The pranksters then share screenshots or videos of the recipients’ frightened reactions online, framing them as harmless “jokes.”
In several viral posts, people have fabricated entire texts and WhatsApp exchanges, pretending to negotiate with a supposed intruder. In one widely shared video on TikTok, a woman sends his husband an AI-generated picture of a stranger in their home, claiming he is his “friend from college”. The husband, unaware it was a prank, can be seen angrily texting his wife, ordering her to throw the man out.
Watch video here.
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UK, US police issue warning
The prank has sparked alarm in the UK and the US. According to a report by the BBC, Dorset Police in England said it recently received a distress call from an “extremely concerned parent” who believed a man had broken into their home while their daughter was alone. Officers later discovered it was an AI prank.
The force condemned the hoax, warning that it diverted “valuable deployable resources” that could have been used for genuine emergencies. “If you receive a message and pictures similar to the above antics from friends or family, please attempt to check it isn't a prank before dialling 999,” the department said in a social media post.
Meanwhile, in Washington state, the Oak Harbor Police Department issued a statement after a false social media post claimed a homeless man was on a local high school campus. The image turned out to be AI-generated as part of the same viral prank.
“There have been no incidents or safety concerns involving the homeless population at any Oak Harbor School District campus,” police clarified, urging families to talk to children about responsible use of AI tools, Fox 13 Seattle reported.
Now, as the trend continues to spread, law enforcement warns that such hoaxes not only exploit vulnerable communities but also blur the line between humour and harmful misinformation.
