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.

As it gains traction, authorities have issued warnings about the dangers of sharing false information online.

“Besides being in bad taste, there are many reasons why this prank is, to put it bluntly, stupid and potentially dangerous,”

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