How to Spot an Adoption Scam

 Posted on October 20, 2023 in Family Law

The thought of bringing a child into your loving home should be one of joy and anticipation. Housing a child in need of a family is a tremendous display of bravery and commitment. However, there are those in the world who are corrupt and would choose to rain on your parade through deceptive tactics. Choosing to adopt means remaining vigilant to possible adoption scams and professionals out to disrupt your happiness. Though not necessary, seeking legal counsel and support from a trusted and experienced attorney before engaging in the adoption process is highly recommended.

Common Adoption Scams

Adoption scams can occur in situations that you may not expect otherwise. The most common, according to many wrongful adoption cases, comes directly from the agencies where adoption takes place. Oftentimes, the adoption agency may fail to provide the full background information on a child to the adoptive parents.

Adopted parents can also be scammed online by pregnant or birth mothers making false promises of adoption opportunities. They may request prospective adopters to support them financially and provide medical expenses or other costs and fees without ever intending to provide the adopting family with a child.

What to Look Out for When Pursuing Adoption

Adoption scams are far too prevalent today, placing additional stress on hopeful adoption parents while draining their bank accounts. To avoid the pitfalls of an adoption scam, adopting parents should keep an eye out for the following:

• Agencies claiming very short adoption wait times or claiming a high network of birth mothers looking to give up their children for adoption
• Adoption agencies with low per-year adoption rates
• What an adoption agency can do if your attempt at adoption does not work out
• Adoption agencies or facilitators demanding high upfront costs not representative of the total cost of the adoption
• Expiring adoption contracts without risk protection and full transparency
• Unlicensed adoption agencies and adoption facilitators
• Consent is not received by birth parents as required
• Adoptions leaving out large chunks of background information on a child

You should read all documentation related to adoption in full, including contract disclaimers. To avoid becoming a victim of adoption fraud:

• Get complete medical documentation of the pregnancy and life of the child
• Work only with experienced adoption agencies or facilitators
• Ensure all payments to the birth mother are not direct but rather go through an agency
• Have all documentation received be reviewed by your attorney

Contact a DuPage County, IL Adoption Attorney

Getting scammed in any capacity does not feel good. This goes threefold in the case of adoption fraud. You can find an experienced Wheaton, IL adoption process attorney at Fawell & Fawell ready to take on your case. We can read and assess all relevant documentation to ensure your adoption is real. Contact our office at 630-871-2400 to set up a free consultation with one of our skilled attorneys.