Adopting a child can be a stressful operation for families for host of reasons. Parents become anxious to adopt and sometimes fear the paperwork involved with a legal adoption. 
Texas family law allows for private adoptions so long as the couple has an authorized adoption intermediary working with them and the biological parents of the adoptive child. The list of intermediaries allowed by the state of Texas include attorneys, social workers, mental health care workers, doctors and legitimate child placement agencies. But even with the allowance of private adoptions in Texas and a fairly expansive list of legal intermediaries, some couples become impatient or overwhelmed and try other methods of adoption. Lately online adoption scams have become an issue across the country as more adoptive couples are seeking faster, “less stressful” alternatives to the traditional route.
Recently a couple in the Midwest decided to go forward with an adoption agency they found online. The online agency didn’t require much of the adoptive parents, and it quickly connected the couple with a birthparent. The potential adoptive couple was so excited about how simple the adoptive process was with the online agency that they paid extra money to have the adoption process sped up even more. Unfortunately for the couple, they later discovered that the mother wouldn’t consider the adoption unless the adoptive couple was willing to purchase appliances for her. The couple decided to abandon the adoption process incredibly disappointed and out $10,000.
Sadly stories such as this are becoming more and more common throughout Texas and the United States when it comes to adoption. Parents are eager to adopt children and want to bypass some of the more time-consuming portions of adopting a child. Online agencies prey upon such couples, and many of these couples are willing to believe whatever these online adoption agencies claim based upon the hope that they’ll be able to adopt a child sooner.
The adoption process features quite a few idiosyncrasies, and it’s best to consult with an adoption attorney before you jump into the process too quickly. Especially if you’re considering a private adoption in Texas, it’s important to discuss your options with someone who knows the laws involved. It may save you both time and money to approach adoption with the correct information.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Online Adoption: Avoiding a Web of Lies“