Sadie Buggle
FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) – The Fountain Police Department (FPD) says a viral social media prank using AI-altered photos to fake home intrusions sparked a massive police response Tuesday, leading the department to warn residents about the serious risks behind the trend.
The recent trend, nicknamed the “AI Homeless Man Prank,” is gaining traction on platforms like TikTok, where users manipulate photos using artificial intelligence to create fake images of an intruder inside their home, intending to scare family members or roommates.
Officers with the Fountain Police Department say they responded to a reported burglary on Wednesday morning after a mother called 911, fearing for her daughter’s safety.
The mother told the dispatcher that she had received a text from her daughter saying, “Some strange guy just walked into the house asking to use the restroom.” Her daughter had also sent her a photo of the man in their house, whom the mother described as “homeless-looking.”
The mother said she was then unable to get in contact with her daughter, prompting her to call the police.
FPD said that due to the urgent nature of the call, every police officer and detective who was available was sent to the residence.
“Every available unit responded to this residence. When they got there, they knocked on the door. Originally, there was no response from anyone. So at that point, right now, the situation is now amping up even more because there’s no response. There’s a strange person in the home. Officers were preparing to do whatever they needed to do to get inside that home. That could have meant you know, busting down the front door, whatever that means. And eventually, thankfully, the daughter did come to the door and say that it was a prank,” explained Lisa Schneider, the Public Information Officer for the Fountain Police Department.
She says luckily, there were no other calls for service in Fountain at the time, but if there were, it could have pulled away police resources. FPD also explained that no one would face charges in this instance since the mother believed her daughter was in danger. They say the daughter would have had to call 911, knowing she generated that image for potential false reporting charges.
“Yesterday, there was a lot of wasted resources on this call. Thankfully, there were no other calls for service at that point. But if there had been, there would have been a delayed response to someone who was having an actual emergency,” said Schneider.
“While it may seem like a joke, this prank isn’t funny,” the department said in a post to social media. “These pranks cause panic to family members, have the potential of dangerous or violent reactions, and waste time and resources of emergency responders.”
FPD is now urging parents to talk to their kids about the serious consequences of these trends and how they could have serious emotional and legal consequences.
“Please ask questions of roommates or family members before calling 911 to report such an image. Make sure it’s real,” the department said. “Make sure your family members know you’re going to call 911 and they need to tell you then if it’s a prank, before it’s too late.”
KRDO13 spoke with people in Southern Colorado about the trend. Some parents were shocked by the video and said that they would believe it if they were sent that by their child. One mom told KRDO13 she’s going to get her daughter a home phone when she’s older, saying the cellphone access to social media and artificial intelligence has gotten out of hand.
Another parent who works in AI said they would take a critical eye to the images. For example, we showed her a video of what looked like someone standing in our break room fridge.
“As the models get better and they improve, it’s going to get to a point where you can’t tell the difference between AI and reality. I can, because I can look at this with a critical eye and see that he’s not actually grabbing onto anything. But I would say the technology is rapidly improving, and pretty soon you won’t be able to tell,” explained Carly Mojica, a local parent.
Mojica noted that her son would not try to pull that prank since they both know better.
“If there was someone breaking into your house, why would you stand there and film them going through your refrigerator? I don’t know, I feel like, if there was someone in our house, I would know that he would probably be screaming and call 911. Not send me a video,” said Mojica.
Another parent explained how, while this can be scary, it’s important, it is to look out for what your kids are getting involved in.
“I like it for some uses, but I think that when it comes to imitating things that are, that are fake, that’s scary. And then, you know, because we live in a generation where everybody has access to the internet and to their phones and all the things, we have to be very conscious of what our kids are getting involved in,” explained Dr. Gloria Prince.
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