Police departments around the world are warning against the dangers of a trending social media prank that uses artificial intelligence to simulate a home invasion.
Known online as the “homeless man prank,” the perpetrator convinces the recipient that an unhoused stranger has entered their home by texting them artificially generated images of a person experiencing homelessness sitting on their couch, lying on their bed and searching through their kitchen cupboards.
The trend has spread across multiple platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
Tbh that’s barely even a home invasion. I wouldn’t even shoot that dude unless he was turning violent towards people or animals, I’d wake him up, make him some food, pour him a glass of 100 proof whiskey, and be like “listen man you gotta go after the meal and drink, I wish I could let you stay but I just can’t. There’s a shelter three blocks up, try there. Hell I’ll drive you, fuck it.”