Avoiding Adoption Scam Artists

As with anything where a person or persons hearts and feelings are involved there are quick buck artists out to make a quick buck by pulling on the heartstrings of those who wish to adopt an infant or put an infant up for adoption. It is unfortunate, but true and all too often people involved in the adoption process wind up losing thousands of dollars and having their hearts broken.

The most common tell of an adoption scam artist is they immediately ask for money. They are looking for the money even before setting up a face-to-face meeting with potential adoptive parents. Avoid this at all costs, insist on meeting in person to discuss the generalities of the adoption offer and inform whomever you have made contact with that there will be no money exchanging hands prior to this meeting.

Perhaps the most powerful scam is that of the scammer posing as the birth mother in a dire situation. They will often ask for money to pay lawyers fees to get the adoption process moving. In this case, simply ask for the name of the attorney and contact information. With this data in hand, make contact with the attorney yourself and ascertain if the request is on the up and up. Adoptive parents have the advantage in this instance, as they are not required to obtain legal assistance for the birth mother of an infant up for adoption. In addition, if proven to be on the up and up, the retainer fee should be sent directly to the attorney.

To avoid a majority of the birth mother type scams it is imperative that probable adoptive parents obtain an actual physical address and live telephone number where the birth mother can be reached at any given time. Never send money, airline tickets, bus tickets or airplane tickets. Money can be spent, most often untraced, and tickets of any variety can easily be taken in for a refund.

Before making a majority of agreements with the birth mother of the infant up for adoption be sure to obtain undeniable proof of pregnancy. Have these and any other documents scrutinized by professionals, even insist that the inspecting professional get into contact with the author of the document. Further regards to documents are the timely manner in which they arrive after being requested. If the mailing of them is continually delayed, or excuses are made when the items haven’t arrived then it is probably time to scrutinize the situation with a little more vigor.

Another tactic is the use of ‘friends’. An adoption scammer will pose as somebody acting on behalf of a pregnant friend who would like to put her baby up for adoption and make contact with as many people looking to adopt as possible. To avoid this scam, immediately inquire about contact with the actual birth mother. If this request is denied from the onset, avoid it at all costs. If contact is indeed granted, take measures to ensure that the birth mother and the ‘friend’ are not the same person. Be aware of similarities such as the same phone number, address, IP address if on the Internet and any other things that may seem certifying the potentiality of a scam.

In the beginning stages of adopting, adoptive parents must be extremely aware of the potential of getting scammed. It is often hard to not get emotional at a time like this, however, being cautious and maintaining composure can prevent future heartbreak and lead to a happy ending.