Associated Incidents
A bizarre prank - that has spread like wildfire on social media in Ireland - has led to a series of false 999 calls from people who have been tricked into thinking a friend or family member's home has been invaded.
The cruel trick, using AI-generated images, has already caused severe alarm to a number of elderly victims, and Gardai are now appealing to the public to stop doing it before a more serious incident could occur.
The so-called 'home invasion prank' involves tricksters using AI-generated images, via an image filter, to superimpose the image of a rough-looking man onto real images of familiar places in family homes, such as the sofa in the living room or a bed. The images are then sent to relatives or friends along with a cry for help with a message along the lines of a 'stranger has come into our home'.
The trick is believed to have started life in the US and spread rapidly via messaging services Snapchat and Whatsapp and on Instagram, Facebook and other social media sites. But in Ireland, it has caused real alarm and distress in a number of cases and is becomming a drain on Garda resources as panicked relatives dial 999.
Gardai have taken to social media themselves to make their appeal to the public, saying: "An Garda Siochana is aware of a trending prank circulating on social media in which a loved one is sent an AI-generated image of a home intruder.
"Already on a number of occasions this has resulted in the emergency deployment of gardai to an ultimately hoax report of a burglary."
"This represents a waste of valuable Garda resources and diverts from genuine emergency calls which require a response."
And the statement also warned that the prank could see real emergencies not being prioritised.
It said: "There is a risk that legitimate emergency calls will not receive the necessary urgent attention, which poses serious safety concerns for those who need our immediate assistance
"We urge everyone not to engage in this prank and to consider the consequences that may result from such activity."