An Garda Síochána has issued a warning after a dangerous social media prank – involving AI-generated images of home intruders – led to a number of emergency call-outs.
The trend, which has begun circulating online, involves sending loved ones fabricated images appearing to show an intruder inside their home.
Gardaí say the hoax has already triggered several emergency deployments, only for officers to discover no burglary had taken place.
In a statement, Gardaí described the prank as a “waste of valuable resources” which diverts attention away from genuine emergencies.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
The public are being urged not to engage in the trend and to consider the serious consequences of doing so.
