Jen Sumner with adopted daughter Addison Grace.

Stafford woman helps untangle Internet adoption scam

BY EDIE GROSS

Date published: 2/22/2007

BY EDIE GROSS

Hope for Jen Sumner came in the form of a classified ad on a Web site for families hoping to adopt.

The woman in the ad, who called herself Shawnie, said she lived in Wisconsin and was pregnant with a girl. She wanted to place the child in a loving home.

"I answered her ad," said Sumner, a single Stafford County woman who had just undergone a hysterectomy. "That's how the ball started rolling."

She wasn't the only one who'd done that.

At least 10 families have come forward claiming the same Wisconsin woman conned them into believing they had been chosen to adopt her unborn child.

Some of them sent her money or gifts to cover bills and medical expenses during the pregnancy.

Others, like Sumner, simply maintained a long contact over phone and e-mail, insisting that money change hands only through attorneys.

In the end, the result was the same: There was no baby.

A spokesman with the FBI's field office in Green Bay, Wis., confirmed that his agency is investigating the 30-year-old woman. The Free Lance-Star is not naming her because no charges have been filed.

Sumner and two other women who say they were promised babies by the woman will appear on the "Dr. Phil Show" today and tomorrow to discuss their ordeal and confront her.

"She had a different story for every family she scammed," Sumner said. "I don't know how she kept it all straight. I couldn't have done it."

Sumner first contacted the woman in August 2003. Looking back, she said, there were red flags.

"Shawnie" was only two months along at the time she placed the ad, yet she already knew she was having a girl.

When Sumner questioned her about that, the woman said she'd had an early amniocentesis because the birth father had a history of cystic fibrosis in his family.

Sumner and the woman often used instant messaging to communicate, but once, the woman messaged Sumner under the name "Melissa" rather than "Shawnie."

When Sumner pointed out the discrepancy, the woman said she'd used the fake name Melissa to chat online with a man she didn't know and just happened to notice that Sumner was online at the same time.

The woman told Sumner she had gotten lots of responses to her ad, but decided that she wanted Sumner to adopt her baby.

Penny Barg, district supervisor with Adoptions From The Heart in Chesapeake, and Kelly Kiser-Mostrom, author of "The Cruelest Con," offer the following tips to protect yourself during an adoption proceeding. Use a licensed agency. In Virginia, adoption agencies must be licensed by the Department of Social Services. The agency is required to post that license as well as any violations at its place of business. Ask for references. Reputable agencies will give prospective adoptive families the names and numbers of past clients. Verify the pregnancy. Contact the hospital where the mother is being treated. She should have signed a medical release. Research the adoption professionals you use. Find out if they belong to reputable organizations such as the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. SEE IT ON TV Stafford resident Jen Sumner will talk about her adoption nightmare on the Dr. Phil show today and tomorrow at 3 p.m. on NBC stations. For more information, visit drphil.com.

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Date published: 2/22/2007