Mistake for
Definition 1 of 1
Pro Tip 1/3Visual Deception
Often involves mistaking one person or object for another due to similar appearance. 
In the dim light, she mistook the coat rack for a person.
Pro Tip 2/3Expectation Influence
Prior expectations can lead a person to mistakenly identify something as something else. 
He was waiting for a taxi and mistook a yellow car for one.
Pro Tip 3/3Distance Effect
Greater distance can cause more mistakes in identifying people or things. 
At the end of the street, I mistook the statue for a real person.