Faking Births in California

Last Updated: November 12, 2026

Using novelty birth documents or props to deceive others about pregnancy or parentage can be California fraud when the conduct meets specified knowing or willful elements, for example Penal Code 529a on false or counterfeit birth or baptism certificates with intent to deceive or conceal identity, and Health and Safety Code 103780 on willfully altering, knowingly possessing more than one altered document, or falsifying specified vital records under its stated conditions. Not every novelty or entertainment use is automatically a crime, and this page does not certify that every vendor product is lawful. Trafficking or adoption-invalidation consequences require their own facts and legal basis; they are not assumed from a novelty listing alone. Adoptions should follow legitimate state procedures.

Humorous on its face, but serious when considering adoption implications, a new website is manufacturing proof of live births and selling it on the internet. At http://www.fakeababy.com, various documents and costume wear to fake live births are available, such as ultrasounds, sonograms, DNA tests, and hospital records.

While the idea of wearing a pregnancy suit, also available on the website, may sound funny, when you think about the potential for people to pose as potential birth parents with this information, it becomes concerning. Unsuspecting prospective adoption couples could unwittingly advance money to people posing, through the use of this proof, as viable birth parent candidates. Although items obtained from the website state “For Entertainment Purposes Only,” this is at the bottom and it’s easy to figure out how to obscure the language.

This page’s 2015 account reported that people who ordered from the website to test the product found documents referencing a real Southern California OB-GYN’s name and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. We have not recovered a matching accessible original tester or report for that attribution; the historical account is retained for provenance and does not assert that any named doctor or hospital participated, or that any patient record was authentic.

Parents eager to adopt could easily fall victim to these credible-appearing, doctored documents. This is another good reason for families looking to adopt to make sure they are working with reputable people who are licensed and vetted properly. Licensed agencies and counsel help manage and reduce adoption risks; they do not guarantee that fraud cannot occur or that every placement will succeed. FamilyCore’s current adoption program serves children in foster care only. Beginning November 2022, FamilyCore transferred adoption search services for past adoption clients to the Center for Youth and Family Solutions, and FamilyCore retains ownership of those files. Current program information: FamilyCore Adoption and Center for Youth and Family Solutions Adoption. We are always here to help you navigate your adoption process as well.

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