10 Helpful Tips to Protect Adoptive Parents from Scammers

By AdoptBrite
Published July 6, 2015

Suspicious scam emails and suggestions on how to detect them:

1. Go with your gut feeling. ( this is sometimes hard especially if you have been waiting for so long)

2. If the email is in all caps

3 If the wording is broken, uses strange grammar or sounds like it was translated from a different language.

4. Caution international requests especially those from Cameron Africa. AdoptBrite.com is trying to block some countries that are prone to scams.

5. If there is no phone number act prudently.  Successful adoptions do occur with emails. And you may not get a phone number until the mother goes into labor.

Red Flags and suggestions for qualifying a birth mother:

6. Ask for the birth mothers phone number.  If they do not to give it, this raises a red flag.

 

7. Consult your lawyer or if you have an adoption agency you can consult them.

8. If you call the birth mother and she starts talking about money right away - red flag.

9. Try to avoid a birth mother offering you Guardianship. One way it works is - The birth mother has already given birth. She is not ready to adopt and does not want foster care since she will not be compensated. But, she promises that she most likely will adopt in the future, and gives you guardianship over her child. Usually she is in need of money right away and you agree to compensate her monthly. Guardianship is only temporary. Sometimes this may lead to an adoption but  often the baby is used by birth mothers with different families to get  money. I feel for these birth families who go this route and pray for their situations to get better. But  if you are not willing part with the child, and the birth mother decides not to adopt, you should avoid guardianship.

10. This is a hard one and a judgement call -  If a birth mother is only in the first few months of her pregnancy her decision to adopt may be very strong. However she has many months to rethink her decision. Ideally It is always best to pick a birth mother who is towards the end of her pregnancy. If you have this situation here's is a suggestion; Do not turn down the early pregnancy birth mother. You can delay the legal work and continue to talk with her bi-weekly to build rapport. This can save you a lot of money if she changes her mind. Talk with your lawyer.