Signs of Paternity Fraud

Unfortunately, paternity fraud is a common occurrence and can be extremely detrimental to a child. Paternity fraud happens when a man is responsible for the financial care and other legal responsibilities of a child under the impression that he is the biological father, only to find out he is not. Many men find out too late that the child’s mother has manipulated them into thinking they are the father of the child, and end up spending their time and money on a child that is not even theirs. If you feel that you might be a victim of paternity fraud, here are some signs to look for:

– The mother wants child support in cash payments only. With cash, there is no receipt and no paper trail. Without receipts, you will have a hard time proving you have paid child support if you needed to show evidence in court. Be cautious if the mother of the child refuses to sign any kind of receipt of payment for any cash support you give to her. At the Sampair Group, professional family law attorneys can help you gather evidence pertaining to your payments to the mother.

– She passively blocks your access to the child and doesn’t encourage a relationship between you and the child. This could be because she knows the child is not yours, and sometimes mothers will also threaten to take away your visitation rights for the slightest reasons.

– The child does not look like you. This is an obvious sign that is usually noticed by not only you, but family members and friends that may be concerned if the child has no resemblance to you at all, or even if it looks like the ex or current boyfriend/husband of the mother.

– Be suspicious of paternity if, after a break up or fight, the mother tells outrageous lies or stories about you to attempt to make you lose custody or visitation. Even if you had these rights taken away, you would still be responsible for financially supporting the child.

– If the mother keeps you in the dark about events in the child’s life such as school functions, moves, and other extracurricular activities, this is another way that she is trying to block your access to the child.

If you are seeing any of these signs or other suspicious actions by the mother of a child that you think may not be yours, contact Glendale Family Law attorneys at The Sampair Group immediately for assistance in DNA testing and how you can proceed legally with this conflict.