Los Angeles, Jan 18 (IANS): Police were called to actor Tom Cruise's residence following claims of an alleged armed intruder in his house but say it could be a hoax.

The alarm was raised in a call, which is now believed to have been a prank after members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) arrived at the Beverly Hills estate to find nothing suspicious, reports tmz.com.

Cruise and his family were not at home and police were greeted by his security officers and chef.

Recently a 12-year-old boy was arrested in relation to similar incidents, which occurred at the homes of Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber.

Police were called to Kutcher and Bieber's houses, along with a number of other celebrity owned properties over the past few months, after they received anonymous calls claiming the properties were being robbed; in some cases victims had been taken hostage.

Sources revealed that the boy, who has been accused of making the prank calls, lives with his mother and refused to attend school. He prefers communicating with other hackers on his computer but arrangements are now being made to move him into a more stable foster home.