

Australians hit by US surrogacy scam: FBI

The head of a US-based surrogacy service is behind bars in Florida after allegedly fleecing $US34,000 ($A48,610) from an Australian couple desperate to have a child.
Gregory Ray Blosser, 37, of Tampa Bay, ran The Surrogacy Group.
Blosser offered a service setting up people from around the world hoping to be parents with surrogates but, according to the FBI's criminal complaint, he pocketed the tens of thousands of dollars in payments meant to go to the surrogates.
The criminal complaint lists alleged victims in Australia, Germany, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.
"The allegations in this case are especially egregious because they involve someone taking advantage of individuals who are trying to become parents," US Attorney for Maryland, Robert Hur, said.
"Criminals who line their pockets through such heartless deceit will be held accountable."
The FBI is asking for other potential victims to email
Prosecutors allege the victims deposited funds into Blosser's escrow account, but he did not locate a suitable surrogate or did not pay the surrogate the agreed-upon fees.
The victims allegedly were not able to obtain refunds and victims whose surrogates were not paid by Blosser had to pay the surrogates directly despite providing funds to Blosser.
The criminal complaint details how the Australian couple, known as V2 and V3, signed a contract with Blosser in 2016 and wired $US14,500 ($A20,730) from their Australian bank account to TSG.
"The contract outlined the services to be provided by TSG, which included matching the couple with a surrogate," the complaint, written by FBI special agent Laura Goshen, states.
In May 2017 Blosser allegedly located the first potential surrogate, a phone call was set up so the Australians could talk to the woman, however "the fertility clinic used by V2 and V3 denied the surrogate based upon her medical background".
Another potential surrogate was found and the couple wired $US35,000 ($A50,040) to TSG to set up an escrow account for the "surrogate's base fee", prosecutors said.
Blosser allegedly did not pay the surrogate's travel expenses for an embryo transfer procedure, medical testing, invasive procedures and a $US3500 ($A5003) monthly allowance for "every month after the baby's heartbeat was confirmed".
The Australians asked Blosser to transfer their funds in the escrow account to a new account controlled by another company, but Blosser allegedly did not do it.
"According to V2 and V3, Blosser maintains approximately $US34,500 ($A49,330) of V2 and V3's funds in the escrow account," the complaint states.
Blosser was arrested on Monday in Florida on a wire fraud charge filed by federal prosecutors in Maryland and was refused bail on Tuesday.
A bail hearing is scheduled in Miami for Friday (Saturday AEST).
If found guilty of the wire fraud count he faces up to 20 years' prison.
© AAP 2021

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