Fake Daycare Waitlists Are Stealing from Parents

If you’re looking for daycare, one of the cruellest scams going around right now is aimed at you. Scammers set up fake Facebook listings and websites using stolen photos of real daycare centers, then charge parents a “waitlist fee” to hold a spot. The spot doesn’t exist. The money’s gone. The scammer moves on.

• Expecting parents and new parents searching for child care

• Anyone browsing Facebook Marketplace, community Facebook groups, or Kijiji for local daycare

• Families relocating to a new city who don’t have word-of-mouth references yet

• Grandparents helping adult children find care

Cities with long daycare waitlists are hit hardest. If you’ve been told there’s a two-year wait for a spot somewhere, any listing that says “space available next month” should raise your guard.

1. They pick a real daycare. The scammer finds a legitimate, licensed daycare online and downloads its photos. Sometimes they steal the name and address too.

2. They post the fake listing. On Facebook Marketplace, in a local parent Facebook group, or on a quickly-built website. The listing shows the real photos and claims spots are available.

3. You message them. They respond quickly, are warm and reassuring, and tell you a spot just opened up.

4. The “waitlist fee”. They ask for a small fee (usually $50 to $200) by e-transfer, Venmo, or PayPal to hold the spot. Sometimes it’s disguised as a “background check” or “deposit”.

5. You send the money. The sender’s account goes silent. Messages stop. If you try calling the real daycare, they’ve never heard of you.

Some versions go further. Once you’ve paid the “waitlist fee”, they ask for a larger “deposit” of a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to “secure your child’s start date”.

• A daycare saying they have a spot in a city known for long waitlists

• A request to pay any fee before you’ve visited in person

• Payment by e-transfer, Venmo, PayPal friends-and-family, or gift card. Real daycares use cheques, credit cards, or formal payment systems.

• The listing uses photos but no street address, or the address doesn’t match the photos on Google Maps

• The person you’re talking to refuses a phone call or a video tour

• Their email doesn’t match the real daycare’s website (if one exists)

• Pressure to “secure the spot today before someone else gets it”

• Never pay before you visit in person. A legitimate daycare will expect you to tour before enrollment. If they’re pushing for a fee over message, it’s a scam.

• Call the daycare using a number you find yourself. Search the daycare’s name on Google Maps and call the phone number listed there. If the person you’ve been messaging is legitimate, they’ll be on the other end. If not, the real daycare will tell you they’ve never heard of you.

• Verify the license. In Canada, most provinces publish a list of licensed daycares online. Start at canada.ca child care and follow the links to your province’s registry. In the US, check with your state’s Office of Child Care.

• Search the photos. Right-click the daycare photo in the listing and pick “Search image with Google”. If the same photos show up on other daycares’ websites, you’re looking at stolen photos.

• If you sent money by e-transfer. Contact your bank immediately. If the scammer hasn’t deposited the transfer yet, you can cancel it.

• If you used a credit card. Call the card company and dispute the charge.

• Report it. In Canada, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. In the US, report to the FBI’s IC3. Also report the fake listing to Facebook if that’s where you found it, and tell the real daycare so they can warn other parents.

This scam works because it targets parents at their most stressed and hopeful. Two things stop it cold: never pay before a real in-person visit, and always call the daycare using a number you look up yourself. Spend five extra minutes before sending any money, and the scam falls apart.

For a broader primer on how to spot this kind of thing in other contexts, see our free course How Not to Get Phished. Many of the same red flags apply. Related reading: our breakdown of How to Spot Money Mule Recruiters covers another scam that leans on the same “urgent offer, pay a fee, chat goes silent” pattern.

If something’s giving you a bad feeling about a listing, ask Dave. He can walk through the red flags with you in plain language before you hand over any money.