Dr. Phil: Adoption Scam
If you needed an example of why you should never post an ad on Craigslist asking to adopt someone’s baby, Dr. Phil had the perfect one on his show. I would have thought asking for or trying to give away a baby on Craigslist was filed under “Don’t Ever Do This” in the encyclopedia of common sense, but apparently not.
Meet Monica and Max, a couple unable to have children who hoped the ad they placed on Craigslist looking for a baby to adopt would give them the opportunity they so desperately wanted. Instead, a woman named Danette answered. And the rest is what normal people would call Suspicious, but Monica and Max explained away.
Dr. Phil: Craigslist Ad To Adopt A Baby
Dr. Phil sat down with Monica and Max, who placed an ad online to see if they could adopt a baby. A woman named Danette answered them, but is this a scam? (Dirk Ercken / Shutterstock.com)
Monica posted the ad and was contacted by Danette, who claimed she was pregnant with a baby girl. Danette said the father of the baby forced himself on her and so she wanted to give the baby away. Max said when he heard that, his heart went out to Danette. Danette and Monica started talking every day and after about a month, Danette said she wanted them to adopt the baby. Danette sent ultrasounds and information about doctor’s visits that she had.
Monica and Max set up a Facebook page so people could follow the journey and know things as they knew. Monica actually went out of state to meet Danette after about two months and even felt the baby kick.
About a month before the baby was born, Danette told them the father had been caught and had bonded out of jail and wanted parental rights. So Monica and Max were going to fly Danette out to where they were to give birth to the baby at a hospital near them. But the day she was supposed to come to them, she went into labor. And another twist: Danette said she’d actually delivered twins.
Dr. Phil: Where Are The Newborns?
The boy was only 3 pounds, while the girl was 9 pounds. Because the father wanted rights, the babies went into foster care. They set up a court date to get the father’s rights revoked. Even though the babies were then several months old, Monica and Max had yet to meet them. Monica said she just wanted to see her babies for the first time.
Dr. Phil: Is This A Scam?
Because of the Facebook page, Monica’s friend Wendy got all the updates along with them and she started to get suspicious. Wendy was the one who reached out to Dr. Phil about her best friend’s adoption struggles. She said that there were a lot of things about the adoption that didn’t add up. She wondered how in this day and age doctors wouldn’t have known Danette had twins. She also said the photos of the babies and the ultrasounds looked digitized, like they were photos of photos.
Wendy worried Monica may be blinded by her love for the babies. Monica has spent close to $40,000 getting ready for the babies, preparing her house for the arrival of the babies and buying supplies.
Dr. Phil warned them about some warning signs they might have missed. They haven’t signed any adoption paperwork, there were no medical records provided, no proof of pregnancy other than feeling the baby kick, and Danette claimed she was going to deliver two weeks late, but she still gave birth on the day she was supposed to leave to meet Max and Monica.
The hospital where Danette supposedly gave birth wouldn’t connect them to her room. And although Max and Monica texted with two of Danette’s friends, they’d never actually met them. See what I told you? This has scam written all over it.
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