AI-generated 'homeless man' prank on TikTok triggers emergency calls and police warnings
A TikTok prank trend involving AI-generated images of fake intruders has caused panic and wasted emergency services resources in the US and UK, prompting police warnings for people to verify such claims before calling emergency numbers.
What happened
A social media prank trend became popular on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat in which people send AI-generated images to parents or friends depicting a stranger appearing to eat food, sleeping in a bed and refusing to leave a house.
Dorset Police received a call from a concerned parent who believed there was a man in their family home while their daughter was alone, but the report turned out to be a prank.
Reported impact
Dorset Police said the emergency call used 'valuable deployable resources' that could have been used for a genuine emergency.
Index analysis
The trend spread across multiple social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, reaching enough users to trigger police warnings in both the US and UK.
Governance controls
Dorset Police issued a warning advising people to check whether messages and pictures are genuine before dialling emergency services.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.