Top Ten Warning Signs for Adoption Fraud

1. An adoption agency, adoption attorney, or adoption facilitator guaranteeing a placement in a set period of time, the health of the child, no worries about an unknown or resistant birth father, etc.
2. An adoption agency, adoption attorney, or adoption facilitator that doesn’t return phone calls or emails promptly.
3. An adoption agency, adoption attorney, or adoption facilitator that seems to be pushing you to quickly make a decision.  (It’s true that once an expectant woman has select you,  you need to be fair to her and make up your mind within a reasonable period of time, but your agency or attorney should not be pushing if you have serious reservations.)
4. An expectant woman that seems overly fixated on how much money she can get or continually asks for money for a crisis, such as rent, the eclectic bill, bus fare to visit her sick grandmother, etc.  Keep in mind that most states tightly regulate how much money can be paid to a birthmother and for what purposes.  Violating these restrictions puts the adoption at risk.
5. A prospective birth mother that procrastinates contacting your adoption agency or adoption attorney when you ask her to soon after you “meet”.
6. An expectant woman who does not immediately provide proof of pregnancy when requested.  This proof should be clear that it applies to her.  For example, a sonogram should be labeled with her name.
7. A prospective birth mother that procrastinate signing a medical release form that provides you or your adoption agency or adoption attorney access to her medical information.
8. A prospective birth mother that has not told her doctor about her adoption plans.
9. An expectant woman considering an adoption plan that refuses counseling and other community support services.
10. A birth mother who immediately selects you to parent her child at the first contact.  Choosing parents for her child is a monumental decision and most women take their time making it.