Police Warn Public Over AI Homeless Man Social Media Prank

tech360.tv
Oct 15
1 min read

Dorset Police have issued a warning regarding a social media prank involving an AI homeless man entering people's homes. The warning follows a call from a concerned parent who believed a stranger was in their family home while their daughter was alone.

Hands holding a smartphone with a black joystick attached. Neutral background. Fingers positioned as if playing a game.

The trend is currently popular on TikTok and Snapchat, where users send AI-generated images to friends or parents. These images depict a fabricated stranger appearing to eat food, sleeping in a bed, and refusing to leave the recipient's house.

Last week, Dorset Police received a call from an extremely concerned parent. The parent believed a man was in their home, but it was later confirmed to be part of the social media prank.

Person in a purple hoodie at a desk with dual monitors displaying code and networks in a dimly lit room, creating a secretive atmosphere.

The police force stated that it used valuable deployable resources responding to the call. These resources could have been utilised for a genuine emergency, prompting their public warning.

In a social media post, the force advised the public to attempt to verify if a message and accompanying pictures are a prank before dialling 999.

Dorset Police issued a warning about an AI homeless man social media prank.
The prank involves sending AI-generated images of a stranger in a home.
Police responded to a concerned parent's call that was later confirmed as a prank.

Source: BBC