I had email from a friend in California today that had attached something that made her very queasy.

This friend is not in any way associated with adoption, other than being my friend, of course, and has never asked anyone for any information about anything adoption related.


Nevertheless, this is what she found in her inbox:

From: "adopting": (email address)
To:
Subject: Adopting in Russia
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:51:13 +0300
X-Priority: 3

Our company, for a long time, gives qualitative services a following kind:
the complex help of guardianship of children, being citizens of the Russian Federation, on adoption to citizens of other countries constantly living outside of the territory of Russian Federation.

Our services includes not only gathering the documents of guardianship, but also the arrangement with gouverments, that facilitates and accelerates all process.
Adoption is supposed concerning minor children, the unique parent or both of which parent:
have died;
are unknown, by recognized by the court as unknown absent or are declared died; are recognized by court as incapacitated;
are deprived by court of the parental rights;
have given when due hereunder the consent to adoption
As we cooperate with many children's homes which select healthy children without any deviations.
You can pick up the child on your preference, beginning from age finishing color of eyes. We will find the child for you in the
shortest terms.
If you want your own child, we as render services of Substitute motherhood which lasts from a zero cycle up to-final. At desire you can trace all cycle of pregnancy.
All potential substitute mothers have a full complex of information and documentation.
We also render additional services.
All process of cooperation is accompanied by competent lawyers.
Contact e-mail: (a different email address)

I know I live way out of the loop of goings-on in the wider world, but WHAT THE HELL is this?

I mean, yes, I get that it's some sort of scam, but what sort? Is it a money thing? An attempt to slur international adoptions? A slam against Russia? And is it going around widely in the US?

It's just so disgusting on so many levels that I'm about to lose my lunch, but I can't stop myself from wondering what it's about.

Can anyone out there clue me in? I'd SO appreciate it.