AUBURN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- More than a few people who were checking out the website Uncle Henrys.com this weekend were shocked to see an ad for a "Baby Girl Needs a Home" under the section "Free for the Taking."
The person who posted the ad said his location was Auburn.
We spoke to Auburn Police and the good news in this story is that no one is actually trying to give away a baby. Police say the ad is a scam for money, even though it's under the "free" section. According to the ad, the baby's mother died in a car accident and the poster lost his legs. The ad says, "It's really hard to take care of a new born baby without walking."
Auburn Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen said what the ad doesn't tell you is if you email this person, the conversation will quickly turn to them asking you for money in the form of adoption fees or transportation.
It's just another variation on the classic "you've won the lottery" or "please help me; I've been jailed in a foreign country" scams. Moen said, "Now they're tugging at people's heartstrings because they're posting a picture of a baby on there saying the baby needs a home."
The IP address on the computer that set up this ad is in a foreign country, and police have seen ads like this all over the country. The Maine Computer Crimes Task Force is working with other states to find the origin of the ads.
In the meantime, if you see an ad like this, report it, contact police, and, of course, don't contact the poster.
The ad is no longer on Uncle Henry's website, and police say Uncle Henry's is really good about policing its site and updating its software to keep these kinds of posts off in the first place.
The trouble is these scammers also are really good at figuring out weaknesses in those controls.
NEWS CENTER