Protecting Yourself from Adoption Scams

Adoption is a life-changing journey, but the process has risks. Adoption scams are a serious threat to prospective families. Protecting yourself is essential, especially as scams become more sophisticated. Working with a skilled adoption lawyer helps you navigate these risks safely.

At Cofsky & Zeidman, we understand adoption’s complexities. Our team has over 25 years of experience guiding families through the adoption process. We help protect clients from scams and ensure a smooth adoption journey. Here’s what you need to know about adoption scams and how legal support can help.

Understanding Adoption Scams

Adoption scams take many forms, often involving false promises. Scammers may pretend to be birth parents, agencies, or adoption facilitators. Their goal is usually financial gain. They may ask for money upfront, often in exchange for false guarantees. Some scams go further, emotionally manipulating hopeful families. A skilled adoption lawyer recognizes these red flags and protects your interests.

Common Types of Adoption Scams
  1. Fake Birth Parents: Scammers pretend to be birth mothers. They may reach out through social media or fake profiles. After establishing trust, they may ask for money or gifts, claiming it’s for pregnancy or living expenses. Sadly, the baby often doesn’t exist.
  2. Bogus Agencies or Facilitators: Fraudulent agencies pose as legitimate adoption services. These organizations ask for large sums upfront, promising quick adoptions. Some even operate websites that look credible. Always verify an agency’s credentials.
  3. Unlicensed International Adoption Facilitators: International adoption can be complex and costly. Scammers use this complexity to create fraudulent services. They may claim connections to international agencies or offer discounts on foreign adoptions.

How a Skilled Lawyer Protects You

An experienced adoption lawyer offers vital protection. A lawyer helps verify that all parties involved are legitimate. Here’s how legal support can safeguard your adoption journey:

1. Verifying Agencies and Facilitators

A skilled lawyer thoroughly checks agencies before clients invest. They confirm licensing and verify an agency’s track record. Legitimate agencies are transparent and can provide proof of their success rates and compliance with adoption laws. At Cofsky & Zeidman, we have connections with trusted agencies. We only work with established adoption services to ensure your process is safe.

2. Drafting Secure Financial Agreements

Financial discussions are often a red flag in scams. A skilled lawyer ensures all financial arrangements are in writing. Legitimate expenses might include medical fees, legal fees, or travel expenses. Clear agreements prevent hidden fees or exploitation. An experienced lawyer can distinguish legitimate costs from scams.

3. Establishing Parental Rights

Adoption scammers often promise that parental rights are clear. In reality, adoption involves legal steps to secure parental rights. An adoption lawyer ensures you have legally binding documentation. At Cofsky & Zeidman, we work to secure parental rights early, preventing future complications.

4. Confirming Birth Parent Involvement

Scammers may impersonate birth parents or create fake profiles. A lawyer verifies a birth parent’s identity, confirming they are genuinely involved in the adoption. Lawyers often work directly with adoption agencies to ensure the birth parent’s commitment is real.

Red Flags to Watch for in Adoption Scams

  1. Request for Money Upfront: Legitimate agencies usually have clear fee structures. Scammers often ask for money upfront, outside of a formal agreement.
  2. Limited Communication: If an agency or birth parent avoids direct calls or meetings, be wary. Communication should be open and consistent.
  3. Unlicensed Facilitators: Always verify licenses. Scammers often operate without licenses, particularly in international adoptions.
  4. Guaranteed Adoption Promises: Adoption is rarely a guaranteed process. Anyone offering “fast and guaranteed” adoptions may be deceptive.

How to Choose a Reliable Adoption Lawyer

When facing adoption, choose a lawyer with adoption-specific experience. General family law experience may not be enough. An experienced adoption attorney understands local, national, and international laws affecting adoption. At Cofsky & Zeidman, we have handled over 1,500 successful adoptions. Our experience in various types of adoptions helps us spot and prevent scams.

Key Qualities of a Skilled Adoption Lawyer
  • Experience in Adoption Law: Confirm your lawyer has a solid background in adoption law. Look for expertise in both domestic and international adoption.
  • Connections to Trusted Agencies: A skilled lawyer has established relationships with reputable agencies.
  • Transparent Fee Structure: Avoid lawyers who can’t provide a clear breakdown of costs. A transparent fee structure is essential in avoiding financial exploitation.

Steps to Safeguard Your Adoption Process

  1. Work with Verified Agencies: Avoid online ads or unsolicited contacts from agencies. Choose agencies recommended by trusted lawyers.
  2. Research the Adoption Process: Educate yourself on adoption steps. The more you know, the easier it is to spot scams.
  3. Get All Agreements in Writing: Verbal promises aren’t legally binding. Insist on written agreements for everything.
  4. Secure Parental Rights: Work with a lawyer who prioritizes securing your parental rights. This prevents issues after the adoption is complete.
  5. Stay Informed and Ask Questions: A legitimate agency or lawyer welcomes questions. Scammers tend to avoid questions and push you to make quick decisions.

How Cofsky & Zeidman Can Help You Avoid Scams

Cofsky & Zeidman brings over 25 years of experience to adoption law. Our attorneys understand adoption’s complexities and risks. We guide you through each step, ensuring your adoption is safe, transparent, and legally sound.

Our commitment includes verifying agencies, creating secure financial agreements, and securing parental rights. Attorney Donald C. Cofsky has helped over 1,500 families complete their adoptions. We handle every adoption with professionalism, protecting our clients from scams and unexpected issues.

Protecting Your Family’s Future with Trusted Legal Support

Adoption is a journey full of hope, but caution is essential. Adoption scams are real, and falling victim can be heartbreaking. Choosing the right legal team can prevent these issues. At Cofsky & Zeidman, we understand adoption and are dedicated to protecting your family’s future.

If you’re considering adoption, contact our office today. Our experienced team will support you through each step, ensuring a safe and successful adoption journey.

Stepparent Adoption in New Jersey

Stepparent Adoption in New Jersey | Stepparent Adoption Lawyer

Blending your families can be an exciting experience but one that is complicated by the many legal rules surrounding stepparent adoption in New Jersey. Being knowledgeable about your rights is important but many people are not aware of the fact that the most common type of adoption within the state of New Jersey is that of a stepparent adopting a stepchild.

The sooner you talk to a lawyer, the easier it will be to understand what’s involved in stepparent adoption. Walking things through with a lawyer can help you avoid mistakes and ensure that this momentous and important occasion for your family is handled with care. With the right NJ adoption lawyer, you’ll feel well taken care of.

There are numerous different reasons why stepparent may decide to move forward with such a procedure. The stepparent may want to officially secure an inheritance for the child or all children in the household might want to have equal status. There might also be an additional purpose to secure and legalize the bond and commitment that have long been a reality between an existing stepparent and stepchild. It is quite different to go through a stepchild adoption than adopting a child through an agency or private adoption.

In order for an adult to adopt a stepchild, they have to be married to the biological parent of the child. Furthermore, the non-custodial parent’s rights must have already been terminated. This might be the first reason why you scheduled a consultation with a New Jersey adoption attorney. Biological parents’ rights can be terminated involuntarily or voluntarily. If the biological non-custodial parent intends to voluntarily terminate their parental rights, the non-custodial parent must sign a form that officially relinquishes his or her parental rights. In addition, an involuntary termination is often possible too.

A court order can establish this if the non-custodial parent cannot be located. Other reasons why a parent’s rights might be terminated include failure to comply with recommendations of the division of child protection in permanency, a court finding that the best interests of a child are represented with a termination of parental rights, or a conviction of abandonment, abuse, cruelty or neglect. If a non-custodial biological parent’s rights are terminated, they lose the ability to have parenting or custody time with the child.

That also means that the custodial parent cannot collect reimbursement of expenses or child support from the non-custodial parent. After a biological parent’s rights have been terminated involuntarily or voluntarily, a background check must be completed by the stepparent. This usually involves a check with multiple agencies and a verification to determine whether or not domestic violence charges have applied in the past. After this check is complete and the adoption hearing is scheduled, if the child is older than 10, that child has to be present during the hearing. The stepparent becomes the official legal parent of the child and enjoins the same duties, relationships and obligations as if the child were born to that parent directly. This includes rights of inheritance.

Stepparent adoption can be especially complex if you are not familiar with the rights or the common challenges involved. For this reason, you will want to consult with an experienced attorney immediately to protect your interests from the outset of your concerns. Filing all of the proper paperwork and staying on top of the timelines associated with a stepparent adoption are extremely important for you as well as your loved ones and proper adherence to all of this documentation and the rules of the court can make things smooth for everyone involved.

Contact Our Office

To set up an appointment, call us in Haddonfield at 856-429-5005 or in Woodbury at 856-845-2555. We can also be reached in Philadelphia at 215-563-2150 or by e-mail.

Who Can Adopt and How in New Jersey?

New Jersey Adoption Lawyer

When you are interested in adopting a child in New Jersey, it’s important to be aware of the responsibilities and the rights afforded to you, as well as what to expect in an adoption home study. The stages of an adoption are many, and they can also be complex if you don’t have an attorney working for you. When you get legal insight early on in the process, however, you’ll feel more confident with each step.

A proper understanding of the process in advance after speaking directly with your New Jersey adoption attorney can give you better peace of mind about the complexities of the process. An adoptive parent must be 10 years older than the child scheduled to be adopted and be age 18 or older.

A married individual can petition the local court to adopt a child with written consent of his or her spouse, if living separate apart from his or her spouse or jointly with the spouse named in the same case. If the prospective parents do not live in New Jersey at the time, they can still adopt within the state if the child is born in NJ or if they worked with a New Jersey licensed adoption agency.

What are the Rights and Responsibilities of an Adoptive Parent in NJ?

Certain requirements established under New Jersey law enable certain rights and duties afforded to adopted parents. New Jersey laws were written to demonstrate that intended adopted parents are fit and suitable for a child.

After the adoption process is started, an adoption home study will be scheduled. This is the formal assessment from an approved agency to determine the readiness and the capacity of any prospective adoptive parents, including the agency’s recommendations and written report. The primary basis for the home study is to figure out whether or not the prospective adoptive parents are capable of providing a nurturing, healthy and safe environment for a minor.

In addition to visiting the intended parents’ home directly, the home study might also include interviews with prospective parents and others living in that same home, review of references from the prospective parents – including personal references and employers, verification and employment and income, and health assessments of the parents.

Before a placement can occur in the state of New Jersey, a thorough home study assessment needs to be completed. This needs to be done for all private adoptions done on an interstate basis as well. Families that are looking to adopt a child who is currently in state custody will have to go through a more comprehensive education and home study process.

Any adoptive family that will ultimately finalize their adoption through the courts within New Jersey will also have to undergo criminal background checks with your individual state of residence and the FBI. Child abuse registry checks are also completed through your current state of residence and any location in which you or the other adopted parent have lived in within the last five years. It is strongly recommended to work with an experienced New Jersey adoption attorney whether you intend to adopt domestically in private placement or through a private agency adoption. The right attorney can provide you with further insight about how the home study works and what you can do to prepare.

Given that this a nerve wracking and exciting time for the adoptive parents, the insight of a lawyer who is dedicated to working for your best interests, can be extremely valuable. To get your questions answered promptly, schedule a consultation with an experienced New Jersey adoption lawyer today.

Contact Our Office

To set up an appointment, call us in Haddonfield at 856-429-5005 or in Woodbury at 856-845-2555. We can also be reached in Philadelphia at 215-563-2150 or by e-mail.

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