Over the last few days, a prank has been appearing on TikTok and Instagram which involves texting a friend or family member an AI generated image of an intruder in their house.
Now, An Garda Síochána have issued a statement urging people to stop carrying out the prank.
Taking to Instagram, they wrote: "An Garda Síochána is aware of a trending prank circulating on social media in which a loved one is sent an AI-generated image of a home intruder.
"Already on a number of occasions this has resulted in the emergency deployment of Gardaí to an ultimately hoax report of burglary.
"This represents a waste of valuable Garda resources and diverts from genuine emergency calls which require a response.
"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 Garda finished their post, writing: "We urge everyone not to engage in this prank and to consider the consequences that may result from such activity."
