[Sharon]

"Signs of a Scam
by ABC Adoptions.com

Adoption scams can occur with birthmothers-to-be, adoptive parents, and adoption professionals. Listed below are common situations which we have observed. Watch for the signs and be careful. Do not jump to conclusions and try not to be overly suspicious and hurt honest people.

Birthmother Scams

1. Usually the motivation for birthmother scams are to take your money. She needs money for rent, food, etc. Only give money to a birthmother-to-be through an attorney or qualified adoption professional. The amount limits and circumstances vary by state law. Do not give money directly to a birthmother.

2. If the birthmother is not available by phone and wants to call you because of an on going situation, beware! You should have a contact number and complete physical address that you can verify.

3. A birthmother may not even be pregnant or could be pregnant and has other plans for the baby, including keeping the baby or promising the baby to several waiting adoptive parents. Look for those signs.

4. The birthmother has at least one or more crisis in her life and you are part of the solution. This can include sad stories such as rape and incest. Be sensitive, but do not be drawn into the whole situation.

5. The birthmother offers a plan to bring the baby to you. Birthmothers usually want you to meet her and arrange to receive the baby at the hospital. This ploy is used to get a plane ticket which can be cashed in later. Do not give anyone a plane ticket. Many adopting parents have lost money by purchasing a plane ticket and never hearing from the, supposed, birthmother again

5. The birthmother flakes out. She misses scheduled meetings with you or other professionals. With an unbelievable story she is convincing.

6. Proof or pregnancy or other documents are agreed upon, but never seem to arrive. She seems to always have a reason for not sending you identifying information or cannot believe that you have not received the information. A sudden miscarriage or hospitalization can happen when you request for too much information.

7. The birthmother does not want you to contact anyone else concerning her pregnancy. She does not feel comfortable meeting or talking with an attorney or other adoption professional. When pressed, she might accuse you of not trusting her and can even get angry.

8. The birthmother will not give you, but will get you the name of her doctor or clinic where she is receiving medical attention.

9. The birthmother will evade certain details regarding medical attention, signing parental rights, contacting social services or adoption professionals.

10. The birthmother changes her story about the pregnancy or her situation. If a birthmother is talking to several adoptive parents, her story can change because she cannot remember what she said to you.

11. Be careful if the birthmother is expecting twins. This is a popular situation with an adoption scam. In the natural course, ask for proof of pregnancy and how are you able to contact her doctor.

12. A favorite ploy is for someone to fix you up with a friend. That person might pose as an adoptive parent and not an adoption professional. Be careful that the friend is not the same person. If both have the same IP address watch out!

13. Fake birthmothers are very willing to match quickly and will say you are perfect, without knowing much about you. They are going to send you pictures and other thing, but never do.

14. They have always had complications with the pregnancy.....they usually claim when you cannot find them that they were at the emergency room.

15. The birthmother does not like or want to deal with an attorney or other adoption professional. She has had a bad experience with an attorney and does not want to work with them again.

Adoptive Parents Scams

It seems that birthmothers-to-be also need to look for warning signs that adoptive parents may not be able to work with them or will not follow through with the agreed adoption. Birthmothers-to-be need to watch for these possible warning signs.

1. A family that tells you how much contact they want you to have and after the birth they change what they told you.

2. Adopting parents that makes demands rather than requests and makes you feel second rate.

3. A family that does not return your emails or phone calls and might not be honest with you.

4. A family that seems like they are desperate and will do anything to get your baby.

5. Adopting parent might temp you to break the law by offering you illegal funds or expensive gift beyond what the law allows.

6. The adopting parents might not be qualified, you will have to be the sole judge.

7. Adopting parents might pressure you when you are changing your mind about them, they could have many personal problems, check them out.

Adoption Professional Scams

1. Beware of any adoption professional on the Internet who cannot provide you with information. Get the basics and go from there.

2. If they are an agency, find out the state they are in and their agency license number. It is not necessary for an adoption professional to have a web site, but it helps validate their presence.

3. An adoption facilitator should be carefully looked at, in California, facilitators have to be bonded and in many state they are illegal. You need to research their business.

4. Find out the professionals legal business name, physical address, physical phone number, city business license.

5. If any adoption professional is offended by you asking questions, they are probably not your choice.

6. Check with the Better Business Bureau for any bad reports.

7. Join various Internet egroups or check boards on the Internet for any positive or negative reports.

8. Read any document you sign. Ask the "what if questions". Anything said verbally is always overridden by the contract. Make sure there is a contract.

9. Do not be lured by the fact if you sign a contract, you will have the baby you want. An adoption usually takes time.

10.If a facilitator does not have an established business with a track record and is unknown to the Internet adoption circle, DO NOT SEND MONEY UP-FRONT. A small application fee is about as far as we would recommend. Have your attorney verify the facilitators qualifications. You will need an attorney anyway.

This is a list of common occurrences, many others exist. Think about your actions and always use good judgment.

Attorney General Offices by State

The Attorney General in your state is responsible for protecting the public against fraud and other criminal actions. Listed below are addresses which you can use for your state if you feel that you are a victim of fraud. .


Attorney General
State of Alabama
11 South Union St.
Montgomery AL 36103 Attorney General
State of Montana
Justice Building
215 N. Sanders
Helena MT 59620-1401
Attorney General
State of Alaska
State Capitol
PO Box 110300
Juneau AK 99811-0300 Attorney General
State of Nebraska
State Capitol
PO Box 98920
Lincoln NE 68509
Attorney General
State of Arizona
1275 W Washington St.
Phoenix AZ 85007 Attorney General
State of Nevada
198 S. Carson
Capitol Complex
Carson City NV 89710
Attorney General
State of Arkansas
Tower Building
323 Center St.
Little Rock AR 72201-2610 Attorney General
State of New Hampshire
State House Annex
25 Capitol St.
Concord NH 03301-6397
Attorney General
State of California
1515 K St.
Sacramento CA 95814 Attorney General
State of New Jersey
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market St. CN 080
Trenton NJ 08625
Attorney General
State of Colorado
Department of Law
1525 Sherman St.
Denver CO 80203 Attorney General
State of New Mexico
PO Drawer 1508
Santa Fe NM 87504-1508
Attorney General
State of Connecticut
55 Elm St.
Hartford CT 06106 Attorney General
State of New York
120 Broadway
New York NY 10271
Attorney General
State of Delaware
Carvel State Office Building
820 N French St.
Wilmington DE 19801 Attorney General
State of North Carolina
Department of Justice
PO Box 629
Raleigh NC 27602-0629
Office of the Corporation Counsel
District of Columbia
414 4th St. NW
Washington DC 20001 Attorney General
State of North Dakota
State Capitol
600 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck ND 58505-0040
Attorney General
State of Florida
The Capitol, PL 01
Tallahassee FL 32399-1050 Attorney General
State of Ohio
State Office Tower
30 East Broad St.
Columbus OH 43266-0410
Attorney General
State of Georgia
40 Capitol Square SW
Atlanta GA 30334-1300 Attorney General
State of Oklahoma
State Capitol
2300 N Lincoln Blvd., Room 112
Oklahoma City OH 73105
Attorney General
State of Hawaii
425 Queen St.
Honolulu HI 96813 Attorney General
State of Oregon
Justice Building
1162 Court St. NE
Salem OR 97310
Attorney General
State of Idaho
PO Box 83720
Boise ID 83720-0010 Attorney General
State of Pennsylvania
Strawberry Square
Harrisburg PA 17120
Attorney General
State of Illinois
J.R. Thompson Center
100 W Randolph St.
Chicago IL 60601 Attorney General
State of Rhode Island
72 Pine St.
Providence RI 02903
Attorney General
State of Indiana
219 State House
Indianapolis IN 46204 Attorney General
State of South Carolina
Rembert C. Dennis Office Building
PO Box 11549
Columbia SC 29211-1549
Attorney General
State of Iowa
Hoover State Office Building
Des Moines IA 50319 Attorney General
State of South Dakota
500 E Capitol
Pierre SD 57501-5070
Attorney General
State of Kansas
Judicial Building
301 W 10th St.
Topeka KS 66612-1597 Attorney General
State of Tennessee
450 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville TN 37243-0495
Attorney General
State of Kentucky
State Capitol, Room 116
Frankfort KY 40601 Attorney General
State of Texas
Capitol Station
PO Box 12548
Austin TX 78711-2548
Attorney General
State of Louisiana
Department of Justice
PO Box 94005
Baton Rouge LA 70804-4095 Attorney General
State of Utah
State Office Building
Salt Lake City UT 84114
Attorney General
State of Maine
State House Building
Augusta ME 04333 Attorney General
State of Vermont
109 State Street
Montpelier VT 05609-1001
Attorney General
State of Maryland
200 Saint Paul Place
Baltimore MD 21202-2202 Attorney General
State of Virginia
Supreme Court Building
101 North Eighth Street, 5th Floor
Richmond VA 23219
Attorney General
State of Massachusetts
1 Ashburton Place
Boston MA 02108-1698 Attorney General
State of Washington
PO Box 40100
905 Plum Street, Building 3
Olympia WA 98504-0100
Attorney General
State of Michigan
PO Box 30212
525 W Ottawa Street
Lansing MI 48909-0212 Attorney General
State of West Virginia
State Capitol
Charleston WV 25305-0070
Attorney General
State of Minnesota
State Capitol
Suite 102
St. Paul MN 55155 Attorney General
State of Wisconsin
State Capitol
PO Box 7857
Madison WI 53707-7857
Attorney General
State of Mississippi
Department of Justice
PO Box 220
Jackson MS 39205-0220 Attorney General
State of Wyoming
State Capitol Building
Cheyenne WY 82002
Attorney General
State of Missouri
Supreme Court Building
207 W High St.
Jefferson City MO 65102