Bizarre garda alert after 'hysterical' woman rings station over strange man in house

Gardaí have issued an alert of a viral prank after receiving numerous reports of a strange "dishevelled" man in peoples' houses. 

Gardai in Kilkenny say they have received several reports from people believing "a rather dishevelled individual had broken into their home and was sitting on their couch or elsewhere."

"In all cases so far, this has not been the case but instead a new AI fad on TikTok that places this avatar in your abode. The real culprits are probably your kids playing a 'hilarious' trick on their "Boomer" parents," their online statement read.

"You couldn't be up to them," they concluded.

One local responded by saying the trend "wasn't funny," adding, "it happened to me an hour or two ago, it looked so real."

Another person wrote: "All a bit of fun... it's a pity you have to spoil the fun for all who were planning it... should have let it do the rounds..no harm at all in it."

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The Kilkenny Garda page responded to that comment: "It can be hilarious but it can also cause serious upset as it did to one lady in her 70s who rang the station hysterical. Her son was rang by the station and said it was a joke and then hung up on the Garda. Practical jokes are brilliant but we must be mindful of the potential of badly aimed ones."