“Leave my baby… I’m the one who carried it…the DNA is negative…but it will change.”— Victim of cryptic pregnancy scam.
For two years, BBC World Service’s investigative unit, BBC Africa Eye, investigated an intricate “cryptic pregnancy” scam targeting women in Nigeria. The investigation uncovered suspicions that this fraudulent scheme might be linked to an underground trade involving trafficked babies.
The investigations, led by Yemisi Adegoke, Senior News Reporter at BBC, along with her team, released a documentary titled “Nigeria’s Miracle Baby Scammers” on 25 November 2024, detailing their findings about an illegal fertility clinic in Anambra, Nigeria to which has victimised numerous women.
Demystifying the cryptic pregnancy scam
The term “Cryptic pregnancy” is a recognised medical phenomenon, in which a woman is unaware of her pregnancy until the late stages or during labour, but scammers have hijacked the term.
In Nigeria’s Miracle Baby Scammers, BBC Africa Eye found that scammers posing as doctors or nurses deceive women with promises of a “miracle fertility treatment” guaranteed to get them pregnant.
The initial “treatment” usually costs hundreds of dollars and consists of an injection, a drink, or a substance inserted into the vagina. None of the victims or officials the BBC spoke to know for sure what is in these drugs. However, the women report experiencing changes in their bodies: – such as swollen stomachs, which intensify their belief that they are pregnant.
After several weeks, the women return to the clinic for an ultrasound and are told they are pregnant. They are cautioned against visiting conventional doctors or hospitals, as they are warned that no regular scan or pregnancy test would be able to detect the foetus.
When it’s time to “deliver” the baby, women are informed that labour will only begin once they are induced with a rare and expensive drug, requiring additional payment.
Accounts of how the “delivery” happens vary. Some women report being sedated and waking up with a Caesarean-like incision. Others say they are given an injection that causes a drowsy, hallucinatory state, during which they believe they’re actively giving birth. Regardless of the method, the women end up with babies they are told they delivered themselves.
Exposing Dr Ruth, the miracle baby doctor
In the investigation, BBC reporters infiltrate one of these secretive “clinics” – connecting with a woman known as Dr Ruth to her clients – by posing as a couple who have been trying to conceive for eight years.
During the consultation, Dr Ruth offers the couple a sachet of crushed pills as well as some more pills for them to take at home, along with instructions on when to have intercourse. The service costs ₦350,000 (just over $200 / around £160). She also says that if the female undercover reporter takes an injection instead of the crushed substance, the couple could select the sex of their future baby.
The BBC undercover reporter didn’t take the substances or follow the instructions, yet four weeks later at a follow-up appointment, using a device resembling an ultrasound, Dr Ruth confirms that the reporter is pregnant.
After delivering the news, Dr Ruth explains that they’d need to pay for an expensive drug essential to deliver the baby, costing between 1.5 and 2 million naira ($1,000).
She further explains that without this drug, the pregnancy could extend beyond nine months, which would cause the baby to “become malnourished…and we’d need to build it up again.”
Where the miracle babies come from
Nigerian authorities told the BBC that to complete the “treatment” the scammers need newborn babies and to do that they seek out women who are desperate and vulnerable, many of them young and pregnant. One place that provides such women is brothels.
Women, especially young girls who fall pregnant, are paid a huge sum by the scammers to give up their babies. The longer it takes to find a pregnant girl willing to give up her baby, the longer the expectant mother of the miracle baby stays pregnant.
Some women who receive treatment report being “pregnant” for over a year. However, when a baby is found, the expectant mother is immediately called in for childbirth.
Why the scam thrives
Gynaecologist Dr Kingsley in Enugu, a neighbouring state to Anambra, told the BBC that a core problem which may cause the scam to thrive is the “certainty you could go home with a baby”.
He added, “In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is available, or surrogacy, or you can have a donor egg. All those things are available, but the problem is the failure rate is high. So people tend to opt for cryptic pregnancies, those that can afford it.”
Societal pressures
The investigation highlights societal pressures such as the stigma of infertility often carried by women, as well as issues around reproductive rights and adoption, which may cause such scams to thrive.
Nigerian BBC reporter Yemisi Adegoke explains, “There’s enormous pressure on women to bear children in Nigeria. Even with one of the highest fertility rates in the world, many couples still struggle to conceive. And when that happens, it is women who are made to feel like failures. Ostracised, abused and brutalised in some cases, some are pushed to extremes in their quest to have a baby.”
She added, “When it comes to having children, whatever rational mind you think you have can be easily undone when there are so many people pressurising you. I have seen what that pressure can do.”
The role of disinformation
The widespread lack of understanding about cryptic pregnancy, coupled with limited knowledge of reproductive science, creates a fertile ground for scams to thrive. This information gap allows scammers to exploit vulnerable individuals, often with devastating consequences.
While some women seem to be genuinely oblivious to the fraud, some women are more than willing to participate as long as they get their baby.
A victim’s tale
Juliet, a victim of the cryptic pregnancy scam, tried the treatment after 11 years of trying to conceive. However, her doubts grew about the scam when her stomach didn’t expand as expected. Disobeying the scammers’ instructions, she sought medical advice and discovered she was not pregnant.
She speaks about the pressure many women like herself face, which may cause them to fall victim to the scam. “When you are desperate, as a woman, that is the worst situation you can find yourself in. Your judgement becomes clouded.”
Efforts to fight the scam
The Anambra State Commissioner for Women’s Affairs, who has been part of efforts to crack down on the scam, says scammers exploit vulnerable, pregnant women living in poverty using “agents” to convince them to sell their babies.
The BBC spoke to Uju* a young woman rescued in a raid conducted by local authorities in Anambra State.
Uju, who was about to sell her baby, told the BBC she felt too scared to tell her family she was pregnant and sought a way out. She was offered ₦800,000 (around $500) for the baby.
The Commissioner warned that this “cryptic pregnancy scam” is linked to trafficking. “Anyone who tells you, you can have a child through this ‘cryptic pregnancy’ is a liar. You are going to be given another person’s child, a trafficked child.”
Will there ever be an end?
While Adegoke expresses a desire to see the end of this scam, she explains that its erasure will only be possible when its underlying causes are addressed.
“The attitude towards women’s bodies, pregnancy, and fertility are engrained in culture and until those issues are addressed properly, women will continue to be duped by this scam.”
The treatment for cryptic pregnancy is not cheap for the average Nigerian and the women who fall for this scam are mostly well-educated, but societal pressure makes most women desperate for a solution and this scam guarantees one.
The BBC documentary is a step in the right direction for creating awareness on the issue.
Since the release of the documentary, no known arrests have been made and no cases have been opened against Dr. Ruth. The BBC has also yet to receive any response from “Dr Ruth” regarding the allegations made in this film.
