This week I’ve received a couple of e-mails from people concerned about adoption fraud. Both of them asked me to alert my readers to common scams in the adoption world. Here’s a summary of their stories:

The ‘heartfelt plea’ scam
Story #1 comes from a 28-year-old single mother of one who has completed her adoption home study. She has unsuccessfully been attempting to adopt independently for some time. She has also gone through social services, but has discovered that the social workers prefer older, married, wealthier parents.

Lately she has been inundated with e-mails from “Africa,” from so-called parents claiming they want to place their child with her but need money for a ticket to the U.S.

The ‘re-routed adoption fee’ scam
Story #2 comes from a woman and her husband who accepted a referral of 2-month-old twin girls from a third-world country a year ago. Upon receiving the referral, the parents-to-be traveled to the country and spent five days with them in a hotel getting to know them.

Two months later, they received notice that one of their babies was quite sick and in the hospital. The mom-to-be caught the first flight to that country the same day and was en route when she learned that their daughter had died in the hospital. The mom visited the hospital and noted that since she had met her daughter two months earlier, the baby had been severely neglected.

Four months later, their adoption coordinator informed the couple that the organization’s policy was not to refund their money for the baby who died, but to give them a new referral instead. Later they were told that all their adoption fees had gone to care for their dying daughter. However, the orphanage director in the country informed them that their adoption fees were being used to build a new orphanage, rather than to care for the children.

Reflections
Both these stories are heartbreaking. Unfortunately, they are fairly typical examples of scams perpetrated on would-be adoptive parents. I’m grateful that the parents in both instances are treading aware that they’re easy targets for con artists and are treading very carefully through the adoption process. Being alert to the possibility of adoption scams is the first step in combating them.

Advice
If you receive polite e-mails from a “mother in father” in Nigeria or Congo or some other African country begging you to adopt their child, delete them. I, too, receive these e-mails on a weekly basis and know that many of my fellow adoption bloggers do, as well. They’re scams. Period. IGNORE THEM. If you plan to adopt, do so through legal channels, by using the services of a respected and highly-recommended licensed adoption agency, facilitator, social worker or adoption attorney.

In the same vein, demand to receive an accounting for all adoption fees you pay up front, before you complete your home study (Note: you can’t always do this with domestic adoption, but you usually can with international adoption).

Organizations that handle intercountry adoptions almost always have their complete fee schedule available to prospective parents. If you’re concerned about contingencies in case of your child’s death (before you bring him or her home), get it in writing, on a contract.

Readers, please chime in here and help others learn from you:

What experiences have you had with adoption fraud?
How did you get sucked into a scam situation?
How did you get out of it?
What advice do you have for prospective parents who want to avoid getting scammed?

Related posts:
Online Baby Scams on the Rise


How to Avoid Unethical Adoption Agencies


Avoiding Adoption Fraud


How to Avoid Adoption Scams


A New Twist on Adoption Fraud


Yet Another Adoption Fraud!


The Pros and Cons of Independent Adoption



Book Review: The Cruelest Con: The Guide for a S.a.F.E. Adoption Journey