Tricked! 'Pakistan-based' AI site hoaxes thousands with fake Dublin Halloween parade

Thousands of would-be revelers in Dublin went home disappointed on Thursday after a much-publicized Halloween parade, falsely promoted by a Pakistan-based AI-generated website, turned out to be a hoax.

As per CBS News, the information about the hoax was initially promoted by the website myspirithalloween.com and was shared on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

The website advertised Halloween events in various cities around the world, including the United States, the UK, Mexico, and Australia.

Large crowds flocked to Dublin's main boulevard O'Connell Street in anticipation of a spooky treat, causing temporary disruption to the tram network until police intervened.

"Contrary to information being circulated online, no Halloween parade is scheduled to take place in Dublin City Centre this evening or tonight," said a police statement posted on social media.

"All those gathered on O'Connell Street in expectation of such a parade are asked to disperse safely," it said.

The prank showed at least that "there is appetite in Dublin for a well-organised Halloween parade," said local politician Gary Gannon on X.

Ciarán O'Connor, an analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an independent organization that studies the spread of misinformation, explained that the website behind the hoax likely aimed to generate advertising revenue.

O'Connor said the Dublin parade was falsely linked to Macnas, a renowned Irish performance group known for its Halloween spectacles.

The site, which claimed to be based in Illinois, exhibited "all signs pointing to person(s) behind it being based in Pakistan," O'Connor noted in his post on X.