Peter and Cheniya, a religious couple in Washington, posted this ad online: "We are looking for a traditional surrogate to bring us our miracle baby."
When they got a response from a woman named Audrey, who claimed to be a mom of four, an experienced surrogate, and a nurse, they thought their dream of becoming parents would come true. Audrey signed her response to them "Thanks and God Bless," so they also believed her to be a Christian, further evidence, they thought, that she was the right woman to carry their child.
After doing a background check, exchanging over 100 emails, and meeting Audrey in person, they signed a contract agreeing to pay Audrey $10,000 to be their surrogate.
Audrey collected a specimen from Peter – which, unbeknownst to Peter and Cheniya, she threw in the garbage – and then proceeded to send a picture of her positive home pregnancy tests.
“I was ecstatic. We are going to have a baby,” says Cheniya.
But five months later, Peter got a call from the police. "He said, 'I hate to tell you this, but there is no baby. This is a scam,'" recalls Peter.
"I was devastated, shocked, in denial that there was no baby," says Cheniya. "I wanted the baby so badly and I believed 100 percent in my heart that she was pregnant with our child."
Watch the video above as the couple reveals to Dr. Phil how they got scammed, and see what happens when they confront Audrey -- who was convicted of two charges of theft, one charge of identity theft, and two charges of using a computer to commit a crime.
This episode of Dr. Phil, “Surrogate Mother Convicted for Scamming Couple out of Thousands with Fake Pregnancy,” airs Wednesday -- check local listings here.
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