Paternity testing and DNA fraud

Paternity testing and DNA fraud are on the rise in New York. It is not uncommon for males to question the paternity of children they may have fathered. Nor is it uncommon for women to do so either However, it is unusual for them to go to extraordinary lengths to try and prove that they are not biologically related to their children. According to DNA Testing Choice, “successful attempts at paternity fraud are rare, although the occurrences of it are becoming more common.”

There are several ways parents try to alter the results of paternity test results. For example, a mother may provide an extra sample from herself or switch the real father’s DNA sample with a sample from another man. Or she may provide an extra sample from herself. Another example is when a man uses a sample from a friend in place of his own. Despite the risks and consequences of getting caught, many parents are still willing to try and alter the results of their children’s paternity tests. Paternity DNA testing fraud is not just committed by men, many women are guilty of the offense as well.

Paternity fraud is not undetectable. There are measures in place to prevent fraud from occurring to ensure the validity of results, states DNA Worldwide. One measure includes DNA testing companies verifying and copying the IDs of the people who are giving samples and verifying them with a photo from the date and time of the test. Another is having both of the alleged parents to give their samples at the same time in front of each other before sending them off to the appropriate officials. Both methods require for a proper chain of custody to be established so that there is less chance of inference and sample tampering.

Paternity testing is often required when they are concerns and questions about the legitimacy of children. Extra precautions should be taken to ensure that the right parties are tested and that all samples are processed and certified accurately.