Faking Births in California

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.

People who have ordered from the website, testing the product, have realized that documents reference a real So Cal OB-GYN’s name, and Cedars Sinai Medical Center as the hospital (which is a fancy, actual hospital in CA).

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. The broader perils that can occur in adoptions can be solved by working with such local agencies as Family Core http://http://www.cfspeoria.org/ and the Center for Youth and Family Solutions.http://cyfsolutions.org/services/adoption-services. We are always here to help you navigate your adoption process as well.