. >> reporter: chris and amy lehmkuhl's dreams of an adoption had been crushed by a scammer. she'd promised them her baby and then disappeared after taking their money. and their hearts. >> i think at that point i felt like this was just never going to happen. we were thinking, "i think we give up." just wasn't meant to be >> reporter: that all happened ten years ago. and while there are no solid statistics on how many prospective parents fall victim to birthmother scams each year, nanette williams, a veteran of the adoption business, says the problem is getting worse. describe the business you got into 18 years ago versus the business you're in today >> i'd come across a scam once every three months. i just had three in one month. >> reporter: what are the tricks? >> i knew one girl that went around with an artificial stomach she stole from a maternity store. >> reporter: nanette is an adoption facilitator. she charges prospective parents a fee to connect them with pregnant women, a practice that's legal in california. but she says even she can't always tell whether a birthm