Gardaí in Ireland have confirmed that viral images showing a life-size Cat in the Hat character lurking in neighbourhoods are not real, but were artificially generated by an unknown prankster.
The creepy pictures, first emerging in Limerick, showed a cat-like man wandering streets at night and standing in driveways, causing alarm among residents. They appeared on Facebook, with rumours they originated on Snapchat, and were accompanied by false reports that police were investigating.
Hoax Spread Across Ireland
The hoax was not limited to Limerick. Fake images surfaced in Glanmire, Cork; Cahir, Tipperary; Curracloe, Wexford; and Broadford Park in Dublin, adding to online hysteria.
A spokesperson for Wexford Garda wrote: "In an unusual turn of events we are hearing a lot about an illusive Dr Seuss character doing the rounds online, apparently causing havoc in neighbourhoods and towns across the country.
"Fortunately, we can rule out the issue, which is essentially an AI prompt that places the character into images/videos of familiar places. To be clear, the Cat in the Hat was not in your driveway while you were out and he is not currently hiding out in Curracloe."
Previous AI Pranks
This is not the first time police have warned about fake AI trends. Last year, UK police were involved after a viral prank involving a fake "AI homeless man" led to police calls from people fooled by the hoax.
Dorset Police said they received a call from one "extremely concerned parent" who was fooled by their daughter into thinking there was a man in their family home while she was alone, only to discover it was an AI prank.
A spokesperson for the force said: "If you receive a message and pictures similar to the above antics from friends or family, please attempt to check it isn't a prank before dialling 999."
