Ground rules

Ground rules for a fake ultrasound

A novelty scan is a prop. Treat it like one and it's harmless. These are the rules we'd give a friend.

1. Never use it as evidence

Not with a doctor or a pharmacy. Not with an employer to get leave or lighter duties, a school to push a deadline, a landlord, a court, an insurer, an airline or a benefits office. Using a made-up medical image to get something is fraud or forgery in most places, and medical staff may make real decisions based on it. There's no clever version of this. Don't.

The same goes for partners and exes. A fake scan used to get money, to win an argument about a relationship, or to stop someone leaving is a form of coercion, and it can be a crime too.

2. Choose your audience with care

Roughly one in eight couples has trouble getting pregnant, and miscarriage is common; many of the people around you have been through one of those without saying so. A fake scan can land very hard on them. Don't use one as a prank on anyone who:

• is trying for a baby, or has been
• has had a miscarriage, stillbirth or termination that you know of
• is going through IVF or fertility treatment
• has said they never want children and is anxious about it

If you're not sure about someone, that's your answer.

3. Keep the joke short

Tell them within minutes, in the same room or the same call. The reaction is the joke; the hours of panic afterwards are not. Have the "gotcha" ready before you hand over the scan.

4. Keep it off social media unless you're announcing for real

Posts travel. A prank post gets screenshotted, sent to grandparents and congratulated by people you'll never reach to correct. If you're announcing a real pregnancy with a novelty image, that's yours to share, and a lot of people do exactly that for privacy.

5. Don't use real people's details

Don't put a real clinic or hospital name on a prank print, and don't put another person's name on it without their say-so. Made-up details are safer for everyone, including film and theater sets.

6. Remember it's a novelty

A fake scan says nothing about anyone's health. If a period is late, or a home test is positive, the next step is a doctor, clinic or midwife, not a picture.