Avoiding Adoption Scams

No one likes getting scammed. But, once you realize you’ve been scammed, it’s already too late. Unfortunately, there are quite a few adoption frauds in California out there that are ready to manipulate you into giving them your money for nothing in return.

To help you distinguish reputable professionals from an adoption scammer, we’ve created this guide. When you fill out our online contact form, you can get more adoption information now. We’re happy to help you in whatever way that we can.

What is an Adoption Scam in California?

There are two main types of adoption scams in California. The first, which you have likely heard about in news storieshappen when someone contacts a hopeful adoptive family pretending to be a birth mother. The adoption scammer will ask for the family’s financial information at some point during the call. Within days, the family finds themselves out of thousands of dollars.

The second type of adoption scam, which is more much common but much less covered, is when an unlicensed adoption professional gives hopeful parents false wait time estimates, false cost estimate, and false hope. Families trust these professionals, only to find themselves out thousands of dollars and still waiting for their adoption several years later.

Working with Unlicensed Adoption Professionals

When it comes to adoption scams, stories about unlicensed professionals often focus on how low the costs seemed at first. These professionals often provide a “best-case-scenario” cost estimate, but those fees will balloon as the adoption progresses.

Because these adoption professionals are not licensed or regulated, they can legally get away with this. They are not checked by a governmental entity to ensure their practices are fair and ethical. Adoption agencies, though, are licensed professionals and undergo legal regulations on an annual basis. As a result, adoption agency scams won’t happen with a licensed agency.

That’s why working with a licensed adoption agency, such as ours, is integral to a successful adoption process. With us, you be confident that we will be transparent and upfront about what your adoption will cost. If you want to get started today, then contact us online at any time.

How to Avoid Adoption Scams in California

On top of working with a reputable adoption agency, there are several other steps you can take to avoid adoption scams in California. To give you a better idea of what you can do, here are some helpful suggestions:

• Build a relationship with the prospective birth mother: One way to avoid an adoption scam is by getting to know the prospective birth parents. Also, your adoption professional at FCCA can mediate contact with them at first, and you can gradually build up to in-person visits, as long as the birth family is comfortable with that.
• Look for specific answers from adoption professionals: If an adoption professional you’re considering working with is giving vague answers, then that could be a red flag. The more specific they are about their services, costs and wait times, the better.
• Don’t transfer money directly to a birth parent: Your adoption agency will handle all financial aspects of the adoption journey. This means that there’s no need for you to send money directly to the prospective birth parent. If the professional or birth parent requests that, then that could be indicative of adoption fraud.  Your agency should be upfront about the cost of the adoption and how and when it needs to be paid.
• Exercise caution on social media: Sometimes, adoption scams take root on social media platforms. These social media adoption scams lead hopeful adoptive families into thinking they are connecting with a prospective birth mother. Rather, they’re messaging an adoption scammer. That’s why it’s important to be wary of sharing personal information online.
• Be mindful of the adoption story: If you are pursuing an open or semi-open adoption, then you’ll get to know the prospective birth mother. Make sure that the story is consistent and truthful. When you start to get a bad feeling, listen to your gut. It may be an adoption scam if there are a lot of plot holes, so to speak.

Using tips such as these, you can tell if you’re interacting with an adoption scammer. When you work with our agency, though, you can rest easy knowing that you are in experienced, trustworthy hands. We have helped thousands of hopeful adoptive families realize their lifelong dreams of parenthood.

Whenever you’re ready to begin your adoption journey, you can contact us online to get more adoption information now. Our team is also here to answer any questions you might have about adoption scams in California. We would love nothing more than to help you out today!