[thesearchguru]

It’s wise to be aware that several types of scams are on ALL adoption message boards on the internet:


Many people have been scammed by someone pretending to be the relinquished child or birthmother. Click on this link for more information:

http://forums.adoption.com/t98290,15,1.html


Also:

http://forums.adoption.com/showthrea...671#post521671



These scammers change their user names and email addresses frequently so be aware of any suspicious contact.

Scammers will also contact you pretending to be free search angel when they are not. Or they will say "contact ....who did my search". Generally they are recommending themselves as a "fee for service" searcher.


It is not wise to post your non-identifying information on a public message board. If you are contacted by someone who might be your birth relative you will want to ask questions that relate to the information in your non-identifying report.

For ease in others reading these many messages it would help to post as a “new thread” and to include the following information in the subject line PLUS in the content of the message:


gender of adopted person
date of birth
city of birth
state of birth

For example: male 01/01/1960 Chicago Illinois

Other people reading the message board will be more likely to identify with this basic information and will be more likely to read your complete message and contact you if there is a match.

Also post in the message boards for the year of birth and state of birth for the best exposure for your search information.


Other great websites to check out:
Adoption.com Forums
Adoption.com - Information on International, Domestic, Child & Agency Adoptions, Stories, Laws -
Adopting - Adopt a Baby, Child, Infants, Kids, Older, Services, International, Information China -
Adoption Registry - Records, Reunion Registries, Adoptees, Search Reunite

[LKG]

I did put some identifying information in a post .. How can I change it? Thank you for your help...LKG

[ADOPTIVEMOMM]

I was contacted by a woman in Texas whom declared she would do a search for $125 and guaranteed names of birthmothers. Well, I wondered...and took a chance. I got scammed. I think she made the names up. She contacted me through this forum. This happened more than a year ago. Since then I have been told by several people that if "Jane Doe" was the person whom did the search, that she also had scammed many others, too.


Beware of a Texas woman, whom claims to pay a clerk in Austin, for birthmother's names!!!!

[BrandyHagz]

AdoptiveMom,

If you havent been asked already, will you please send me the name of the person who contacted you on this site, via PM.

Thank you

[ADOPTIVEMOMM]

yes..I will tell the woman's name. I understand she has scammed many. Her email address is now invalid and I cannot contact her.

[rads1966]

I to was contacted by a woman here in texas just the other day that said if i would send her a money order for 25$ she would do a search for me and guaranteed me results,, i was sceptical in doing so , i deleted the message ,, i will see if i can find it,, because it has her name and address on it

[BrandyHagz]

Folks,

I dont need their real name...what I need is the name they used here on the forums.

Please PM me the names that were used on the forum!

Thanks

[rads1966]

Brandy,
I am sorry but i have deleted her message from my computer,, It scared me when she asked for money,, for one because i dont have money the other bedause i had read in the forum that no search angel would ask for money,, I am sorry i cant help you more,,

[BrandyHagz]

In the future, if ANYONE PM's asking for money, please let me know.

Do you recall what her name started with? Anything about the name at all?

Did you get an email notification when you got the PM? If so, do you still have it? Maybe in your deleted items?

These people who violate the Terms of Service need to be reported to admin, me or Colleen (Thesearchguru) as soon as possible!

Thanks

[casshay]

I just recieved e-mail from a Lawyer, James Barry claiming to be the lawyer that handle my adoption. I this a scam?

[StaycieLouWho]

YES, be very careful when someone asks you for money. But PLEASE know that there actually are people, like me, who really want to help in your search FREE of charge! Never a penny exchanges hands. I am a Texas Licensed Private Investigator with the experience, skills and information that takes many searchers YEARS to achieve if ever. I know that there are bad people out there who want to scam you and take your money but many times the fear of this causes people not to accept my FREE help. There have been many occasions that I have perused the registries and found the "missing" person in minutes! Yet when I contact the poster, even sometimes including all the information, I never hear a word back from them so I don't even know if they got it. I was born to solve these puzzles and I genuinely am a very good person who wants to use my gift to reunite people. I have never asked for any compensation. This is such a delicate thing and people are already afraid of being vulnerable but I don't want to know that people refused my help because of a bunch of bad apples. The reason I even got into this field was because of my search for my husbands bio parents long before the internet. If it wasn't for an "angel" in Austin who I just happened to run into at the library, it might have taken me 10 more years but I was able to make the connections that led me to his birth mom by THAT night! Now I want to pay it forward. So please, if you have the name of the person that you are looking for ACCEPT my help because I can typically do a locate w/a name (even if it is maiden name) in less than 24 hours! Even without a name I have many many success stories. The only compensation I ever ask for is to hear your story and make a friend! Thanks for allowing me to post.
Stacy