Adoption Scam! Best way to warn people?

My husband and I have been looking at adoption agencies online for a few months now, and after talking with others who are trying to adopt, we have heard so many horror stories of people getting scammed by phony ads from individuals claiming to have a baby they want to give up for adoption. After hearing this we decided to look into it a little more and found three such ads, obviously scams, right here on yahoo answers. It was amazing to us that people would take the bait! What is the best way to warn these people so they don't end up handing over their life savings to these heartless idiots?
Additional Details
Perhaps I should have been a little more clear... my husband and I were not looking to find a baby to adopt through ads such as these. We are in fact looking into adopting through the foster care system as well, and we are not seeking a newborn. We are interested in helping an older child find a good home. This question was not intended to seek advice on how not to get scammed ourselves... it was for advice on how to help other seemingly well intending individuals. Thank you for your honesty, and for taking the time to answer.

Bodhi

There are a lot of resources on the internet for warning other PAPs about scams. There are websites that are dedicated specifically to adoption scams (just Google "adoption scam" and they're easy to find), and most adoption message boards have a section for it.

Here are some better known ones to get you started (I have used all of them myself):

http://www.abcadoptions.com/scams.htm (talks about scams run by First Mothers, PAPs, and Agencies)

http://www.abcadoptions.com/networking/home.php (you can join an adoption group and post)

http://www.adoptionscams.net/ (you have to register for their message board)

http://www.cafemom.com/ (you can join and post)

http://www.adoptionplan.com/forum/index.php (you can join, be approved which takes a day or so, and then post)

If you know the name of the people involved in the scam or any other information that you're able to search on, it might be a good idea to check around these resources to see if someone else has already identified them.

kateiskate

Unfortunately people who are desperate to adopt will often believe things that they might not otherwise believe if they were not so desperate. It seems to me that the desire for a child sometimes clouds regular people's sanity and screws with their judgement.

I would advise you to tell anyone you know who is interested in adoption to look into foster care adoption. Foster care and foster to adopt programs are run by the state and should not result in anyone being scammed. I would also tell you to advise anyone you know interested in adoption to stay away from pre birth matching. Not only is it coercive to a hormonal, confused mom, but it heightens the chance for you to be scammed by someone pretending to be pregnant. It is really best for both parties if there is no pre birth matching involved in adoption

Independ"ant"

"It was amazing to us that people would take the bait! "

Really.......not to me....think about how many agency's have gotten away with ripping desperate people off and its not just limited to adoption.

"What is the best way to warn these people so they don't end up handing over their life savings to these heartless idiots?"

Tell them to be ethical and realistic.......if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Money is not the only thing Aps have complained to have been screwed out of........there are a lot of Aps suing agency's for "damaged goods?". They ordered perfectly healthy children and received children that ended up having medical problems and the Ap's feel "gypped". Nice huh.

cantstopLinnyG

Umm, how about NOT scouring the internet for babies? That would be a great start.
ALL private adoption agencies are scams, too. If you don't want to be taken for a ride, or if you dont want to be part of a corrupt human trafficking system, adopt from Foster Care. Those are the ONLY kids who need homes.

grapesgum

I have proposed a WEB site that lists adoption offenders. It should include:
1) all of the aliases of known scammers
2) the modus operandi of all scammers
3) unethical adoption agencies,
4) the modus operandi of unethical adoption agencies
5) the names of adoptive parents who close adoptions that were supposed to be open
6) the modus operandi of adoptive parents who pretend that they want an open adoption.

ALL abusers of the adoption process need to be exposed.

The adoption industry only wants #1 and #2.

crzymmof8

Oh Jennifer bless you for trying to protect other people from this heartbreak. We lost 16,000 to an adoption scam. We learned so much and then went on to adopt through foster care. Unfortunately I dont' know how you protect people who are just so desperate to be a family. Bless you for trying.

The Lauren

Adoption scammers are disgusting. One of the few things that really gets me lit. People are so desperate to become a family that they often look past warning signs and end up being taken for thousands. Check out projectcuddle.org. They are a wonderful organization. A lot of PAP's have heard the horror stories, they know the risk. Its just a matter of really doing your research and blind luck. The BM always has the right to change her mind before and after birth so there will never be any guarantee.

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