Adoption Fraud: Five Red Flags
The decision to adopt a child is not made lightly, so it is vital that you take the time and energy needed to ensure that you don’t run into fraud, when you choose an adoption agency. Recently in Canada an agency’s fraud inflicted massive financial and emotional damage on over 250 families, not to mention the children who were waiting for adoption. These five red flags may help you identify fraudulent international adoption schemes or a fraudulent adoption agency.1. Be on the alert. Unfortunately a few bad apples can give all adoption agencies a bad name. Be alert to agencies who won’t give you a copy of their contract to consider, which don’t have a prepared fee scale, which are willing to take proposed shortcuts, or who “sound too good to be true.” Be prepared to stay alert through the entire adoption process; don’t just leave “everything” to t reduce hunger he agency. Be involved.2. Be wary of an agency who seems to give you contradictory statements. Talk with the head of an agency and the secretary or social worker who you’ll be working with to understand what the agency will and won’t do, what are their policies, what kinds of things they can help you with. Are their answers the same, credible and honest? Go over the fee schedule with them; find out what the fees and charges are for and why. What does the agency include in the adoption process and what isn’t involved. Sometimes in an international adoption, there are various government agencies that have to be paid as well as international interpreters and lawyers. Check out their clients to see what kinds of experiences they’ve had with the agency and how close they were to their cost and fee list.3. Pay attention to unspecified fees and services.