Adoption fraud scams have been perpetrated by scammers for many years and they continue to take advantage of vulnerable people seeking to adopt a child, particularly from overseas.  Many of these scams start with advertisements on Facebook, Craigslist or other social media.  Recently a Pennsylvania woman answered an online advertisement and when she responded to the advertisement, she was told that she needed to pay $3,900 plus air fare to be able to adopt a child from the African country, Cameroon.  Had she paid the money, all she would have ended up with was a fruitless wait at the airport for a child that would never come.  Many adoption scams are more complex than the Pennsylvania scam, often phony domestic or foreign adoption agencies or facilitators.

TIPS

Always make sure that the person or agency that you are dealing with is licensed in your state.  In regard to foreign adoptions, investigate the legitimacy of the agency with the United States Department of State.  Never agree to an adoption without seeing the child in person.  Adoptions are complex matters and it is always a good idea to be represented by a lawyer experienced in adoption matters who can do much of the investigation of the legitimacy of the adoption for you.