Does Paternity Fraud Really Affect 30% of Paternity Cases?

What Is Fraud and How Are Statistics Gathered?

In civil cases, when someone behaves fraudulently, it means that they knew—or at the very least had reason to believe—that things weren’t as advertised. Legally speaking, in order to prove that someone committed fraud, you have to prove that they intentionally misrepresented their claims for personal gain. This means that some cases of misattributed paternity may not meet the standard for paternity fraud. An alarming statistic has been making its way around the web: 30% of men are unknowingly raising children that aren’t biologically theirs. This is untrue. The truth is that prevalence rates of paternity fraud have been estimated to be anywhere from .8% to 33%. However, the higher numbers—such as 33%—tend to come exclusively from studies of cases where paternity is already in dispute. This means that these high rates do not represent the prevalence of paternity fraud in the general population. Many studies indicate that the prevalence of paternity fraud is somewhere around 1% to 3% in the general population.

Do I Have to Pay Child Support for a Child that Isn’t Mine?

No, you do not have to pay child support for a child that is not biologically yours. If you believe that a child is not biologically yours, you can take a paternity test to prove that the child is not yours. If you have been ordered by the court to take a paternity test, you do have to take a paternity test. If your child’s father is claiming that he is not the father, and the court is ordering the child’s DNA to be compared with the potential father’s, you do have to have the child tested. While paternity testing is not required for a child support order, it may be ordered to confirm paternity before child support is ordered. You may have heard the story of a man who was ordered to pay child support for a child he did not father. This happened when the child’s mother named him as the father, and the man did not show up to court for any hearings and avoided all court summons related to the matter for years on end. If you receive a court summons, you need to attend, even if you know the child isn’t yours. You will be able to clear the matter up with a DNA test in court.

Is Paternity Fraud a Crime?

Whether or not paternity fraud is a crime will depend on your location. In many places, paternity fraud is a civil matter, meaning that the perpetrator will not face jail time, but may be ordered to financially recompense the victim of fraud, assuming fraud is proven. If you have suspicions about whether or not you’re the father, it is in your best interests to address the matter sooner rather than later. Do not wait until you’ve been paying child support for years on end before you demand a DNA test. Furthermore, waiting for years to bring up a paternity dispute may have negative effects on the child, especially if it’s revealed that you are not the father. While a person may be ordered to financially compensate you for the fraud, there may not be a guarantee that you’ll actually be able to collect. If they don’t have the money to compensate you, you might not be compensated for a long time and, in some cases, you may never be compensated.

Preventing Paternity Fraud and Reproductive Coercion

The good news is that both men and women can take measures to prevent paternity fraud and reproductive coercion. If you have reason to believe you aren’t the father, you can demand a paternity test after the baby is born. Ideally, you’ll do this as soon as you possibly can. If you are summoned to court, show up, even if you know the child isn’t yours. This way, you can simply provide a DNA sample and move on as soon as possible. If you are a mother, and you know there are multiple possible fathers, it’s important to notify each potential father and have the baby tested as soon as s/he is born. Taking birth control into your own hands is an effective way for both genders to prevent reproductive coercion.

Should Paternity Testing Be Automatic?

Paternity testing can be expensive. Many couples may not want to pay the extra cost of a paternity test when there isn’t any doubt as to who the father is. Furthermore, in countries that have more socialized health care systems, paternity testing may be considered to be an unnecessary expense on the health care system, especially in cultures where the overall prevalence of paternity fraud is low in the general population. Regardless of whether or not paternity testing is standardized, you can take an at-home paternity test for relatively cheap if you’re concerned about the child’s paternity. If you are married at the time of conception, you may be considered to be legally yours based on presumption, even though the child is not biologically yours. Similarly, if you forego paternity testing and sign a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity, you may be considered the child’s legal father even though the child is not yours. If you believe that either of the aforementioned situations apply, you may want to have the child tested as soon as possible.