In short
- Salem, Mass. Police called the TikTok trend “stupid and potentially dangerous” in a public safety warning.
- Videos showing AI “intruders” have triggered real emergency calls and alerted family members.
- Critics say the prank dehumanizes unhoused people while exposing the risks of AI-generated deception.
Police departments from Massachusetts to Texas are warning residents about a viral TikTok prank that uses AI-generated imagery to give the impression that a homeless person has entered someone’s home, prompting panicked calls to 911.
“Besides being in bad taste, there are many reasons why this joke is, to put it bluntly, stupid and potentially dangerous,” the Salem, Mass., newspaper said. Police Department, in a statement. That police department issued a public warning and detailed instances in which recipients “genuinely believed there was an actual intruder” and called 911, necessitating immediate response from officers.
In Texas, police have also had to deal with the fallout from the viral prank. The Houston Chronicle reported officers entering Round Rocka suburb of Austin, responded to several 911 calls after residents were shown AI-generated photos of a “homeless man” in their homes. Researchers determined that the images were created as part of the TikTok trend.
Police urge children to stop pulling AI homeless man pranks on parents, warning it could lead to ‘slapback’
The prank tricks parents with AI images of a homeless man in their home pic.twitter.com/Gt99JjhZIq
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) October 14, 2025
The Round Rock Police Department warned that such hoaxes “take up emergency resources and create unnecessary fear,” the report said FOX 7 Austin. Local authorities said they are investigating whether those who knowingly share the doctored images to spread panic could face charges accusations of false reporting under Texas law.
The trend, known on social media as the “AI homeless man prank,” has been documented by technology and local media as it spread across TikTok and Snapchat. The edge first reported that teens are generating realistic images of a stranger in kitchens and hallways and sending them to parents to record their reactions, with some videos attracting millions of views.
Broadcasters and local newsrooms have echoed ABC’s law enforcement concerns Good morning America highlighted warnings from departments that the prank wastes emergency resources and could lead to dangerous misunderstandings; stations in Michigan and Minnesota reported similar advisories.
TikTok said yes added labels to videos that NBC had flagged to clarify that they were AI-generated. The company’s transparency filings with California under AB 587 also outline enforcement steps, including content removal and account bans when posts violate these rules.
Celebrity attention has expanded the trend’s reach. People captured examples of viral messages, including a father calling his son 21 times after receiving a spoofed image, noting that GMA co-host Michael Strahan said he briefly “freaked out” when an assistant sent him a doctored photo.
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