Deepfakes and uniforms: how criminals exploit trust 

In July 2026, two hospitals in Singapore issued warnings about misleading advertisements on social media. The videos show people wearing the hospitals’ uniforms while recommending health products. It is not the first time deepfakes and medical uniforms have been linked.

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Deepfakes and uniforms in healthcare

In July 2026, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) posted a warning on its Facebook page about fake videos circulating on social media. NHG Health issued a separate warning as well. Both healthcare organisations referred to videos showing a woman recommending health products while wearing uniforms from SGH or NHG. However, the woman does not work for either hospital.

The situation at Radboud UMC in the Netherlands shows that the people behind these videos can take things even further. In early 2026, the hospital also warned about advertisements in which people promote products while wearing its uniforms. But this time, it wasn’t an unknown person. The videos actually featured employees of the hospital. Artificial intelligence had been used to make it appear as if their doctors were promoting products.

For example, a gynaecologist at Radboud UMC appeared in a TikTok video advertising dietary supplements. She knew nothing about it until a patient alerted the hospital’s communications department.

After investigating the case, the hospital discovered that a group of people abroad had created the deepfake video of the gynaecologist. This makes it difficult to take legal action. The hospital therefore created a reporting centre where people can report similar videos and check whether they are genuine.

Deepfakes make misuse of uniforms easier

Although the situations at these hospitals seem like perfect examples of how AI can be misused, the underlying problem is actually nothing new. Long before the internet and AI existed, criminals were already using uniforms to deceive people.

Someone wearing a police or firefighter uniform can often achieve much more than someone wearing ordinary clothes. A uniform communicates authority and expertise, making people more likely to trust that person or follow their instructions. There are countless examples of criminals who have kidnapped or scammed people while wearing uniforms.

That is also why uniforms worn by public services are legally protected. The law can prohibit people from wearing certain uniforms in public. It can also make copying these uniforms illegal. In the past, several online stores have copied ambulance and police uniforms. Although these companies are often based abroad, legal protection puts an organisation in a stronger position when someone copies its uniform. However, it is impossible to completely prevent this type of misuse.

In 2024, AliExpress sold polo shirts with a design that looked like the new Belgian police uniforms. At the time, I wrote an article about these fake uniforms.

The same problem applies to deepfakes in which people wearing hospital uniforms try to sell products. AI may make it even harder to distinguish real employees from virtual ones, but the uniform remains central to the deception.

These uniforms create trust, especially in healthcare. Many people associate hospitals with expertise, care and safety. And that is exactly why hospital uniforms can inspire so much trust.

The problem is not just the deepfake itself. It is the fact that we naturally tend to trust people wearing certain uniforms.

And criminals are cleverly taking advantage of that.

Also interesting:

• Defense logos misused on clothing

• Uniforms depicted in children’s clothing: is that allowed?

Best,

Aileen