TikTok AI Prank Causes Panic and Police Warnings

The Viral Prank Causing Real Panic

A new viral trend on TikTok, known as the “AI Homeless Man Prank,” is causing significant alarm for parents and triggering police responses nationwide. The prank involves users generating AI-altered images that appear to show a homeless man inside their homes and then sending these fake pictures to their parents to provoke a reaction.

A Prank Gone Too Far One Mother's Reaction

One video, which has already amassed over 2 million views, captures the genuine distress of a mother whose son, Nnamdi Anunobi, sent her doctored photos of a man in their house. After receiving an image of a fake homeless man, dressed in torn and stained clothes, lying on her bed, the mother’s panic is audible in a voice message.

“This is madness! What is this?” she exclaimed.

Anunobi escalated the prank by texting, “He’s friendly sleeping on your bed,” adding, “He has been marinating on your bed for two hours.”

Her response was one of shock and anger. “In my room? What is this? What are you doing? My own room!” she screamed back. “You’ve gone too far. I will not take this,” she said, as detailed in a report by Fox News.

Anunobi continued the joke by telling his mother the man claimed her kitchen items belonged to his “Auntie’s cousin’s side,” to which she firmly replied, “I don’t know these people. I don’t know them. I don’t know the cousin, I don’t know the Auntie.”

From Viral Joke to Criminal Charges

What began as a viral joke has now escalated to a serious issue with legal consequences. Police departments across the country are issuing statements condemning the trend as “stupid and potentially dangerous” and urging the public to stop.

The trend has already led to criminal charges. According to a statement from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, two juveniles in Ohio have been charged for their participation in the prank.

Other departments have followed suit with warnings. The Yonkers Police Department's statement acknowledged that “we like to laugh” but cautioned that creating fake emergencies crosses a line and can result in “serious consequences.”

Why Authorities Are Warning Against the Trend

In a Public Service Announcement, the City of Salem Police Department highlighted the trend's poor taste and potential harm. “This prank dehumanizes the homeless, causes the distressed recipient to panic and wastes police resources,” the statement read.

Authorities emphasize that 911 calls related to these pranks are treated as real emergencies, which pulls vital resources away from actual crises. The Yonkers Police Department explained the danger clearly: “Here’s the problem: officers are responding FAST using lights-and-sirens to what sounds like a call of a real intruder — and only getting called off once everyone realizes it was a joke.”