A mom trying to help another mom in need was baffled to discover a scam while trying to do her good deed. The woman, a mom in Hawaii, is a member of many local groups about breastfeeding.
When she saw another mom desperately seeking breast milk donations, her heart went out to her. She decided to donate to the mom in need. That would have been the end of the story had she not seen the same women continuing to appear in these groups, with the same story, seeking out more donations. She eventually became blocked from all these groups when it was revealed she was running a scam.
So what was this scammer-posing-as-a-mom doing with all that breast milk? She was selling it to bodybuilders for profit. Some bodybuilders see breast milk as a means for gains because of the growth hormones present in it.
People have different feelings about the practice, which is understandable. Most can agree that posing as a mom in need when you're really trying to make a quick buck is wrong. That's why the mom whose milk was sold was wondering if she had any legal options in the matter.
Moms, especially new ones, thrive when they have the support of a community. It's the reason why so many new parents take to the internet, to find a group of like-minded people sharing in their experiences. One mom in Hawaii was part of several social media groups where women in her area talked about breastfeeding.
It was in one of those groups that the mom saw another mom asking for help. She was in desperate need of breast milk and asking for donations. It's not unusual for moms to donate or sell their excess breast milk. This woman decided to help the mom in need with a donation.
At first, she thought nothing of it. However, she later realized that the same message was appearing again and again. Using multiple Facebook accounts, the same woman was posing as many different moms, but using the same story to solicit donations.
Eventually, it came to light that the woman was running a scam. She was accepting the breast milk donations from other moms under the guise of being one of them. Whether or not she is a new mom is unclear, but she was not using the donations for herself or her family.
Instead, she was collecting the breast milk to resell it. She would sell it to bodybuilders who were interested in the nutritional value of breast milk. Bodybuilders believe that the growth hormones and nutrients in breast milk help them build muscle mass, as well as shorten repair and recovery time.
The problem? The sale of breast milk, which Only the Breast quotes as selling for between $1 and $5 an ounce, is unregulated. Dr. Maureen Groer, a professor and lactation researcher at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, explained the issues with this to Yahoo News.
"When women donate to milk banks, those samples are highly regulated. The women are tested for viruses like HIV and hepatitis. And the milk is handled carefully — it’s pasteurized, it’s pooled, and it’s flash-frozen, and delivered frozen to the hospitals that use it."
Milk sold online doesn't offer these benefits. "There’s no way to know what diseases the woman who pumped the milk might have. How did she pump it? Were the pump parts sterile? Were the bottles used to store it sterile? Milk is a wonderful medium for bacterial growth if it’s not properly managed," she continued.
"People are taking great risk when they buy from a donor online — especially if they are giving that milk to a baby."
In the case of the scammer in this situation, it's likely that she wasn't vetting where she got the milk from if she was only getting it to resell. Additionally, there's something seriously wrong with duping other mothers into donating their milk to what they believe to be a worthy cause, just to make a profit. That's why the Hawaiian mom asked what her legal options were.
As many who responded to her post noted, selling breast milk has no legal implications in and of itself. Some also pointed out that although the woman committed some degree of fraud, under the circumstances it's unlikely she would be brought up on charges. All could agree that it felt terrible and wrong, but there weren't laws surrounding the unique situation.
"Maybe there's fraud, but I kind of doubt it. How were you damaged by this transaction? Did you receive something other than what you 'bargained' for (it was a donation, so I assume not)?" one reply read.
"This is incredibly shady and I can only imagine how you must feel, but I am not sure you have any legal recourse here. I think your best bet, like others have mentioned, is to spread awareness to your local FB groups."
The mom pointed out that there were losses, though, in a way that will resonate with anyone who didn't have a flawless breastfeeding experience. "If you need to quantify it beyond the loss of the actual milk, it’s approximately 135 hours of my life," she replied. "That’s a conservative estimate based on the amount I probably [gave] her. (Somewhere between 200-250oz.)"
They emphasized the importance of outing her in these groups so that she couldn't continue to do the same to other people. The mom assured responders that the groups were aware. The groups made sure to block all accounts they could connect to the scammer.
