5. You used to be able to check for complaints at www.theadoptionguide.com . This was an award winning site to use as a resource to help avoid adoption fraud and to see some of the less than stellar experiences people have had with various adoption workers.  Although the URL for this site was sold to Adoptive Families magazine after it was shut down due to litigation, if you use the Wayback Machine at www.archive.org, you can access archived versions of this site and still make use of this resource. 

6. Check the attorney/agency bulletin board at www.lapa-nnj.com. While this is the Northern New Jersey's chapter of the Latin American Parents Association, this bulletin board is unique in that it really gives you a sense of what people experienced with various agencies. Since many of the agencies mentioned there have programs in other places besides Latin America, you might find mention of the agency you are considering there. 

Also, the sister site to The Adoption Guide, www.adoptionnews.org, featured a "rate your adoption" survey that I helped design and a page where you can search by agency for the ratings given to that agency by survey respondents.  Unfortunately, this site was also shut down over threats of litigation, but again, archived versions are available through the Wayback Machine at www.archive.org. Three other sites where you can see how clients rate agencies and their experiences are:  www.eeadopt.org/home/services/agency/agency_registry/index.html,

www.adoptachild.org, and http://web.archive.org/web/20020827095405/http:/adoptingfromrussia.com/.  
Additionally, a relatively new organization, Ethica, which promotes ethical adoptions, has an information-packed site and many features geared towards consumer protection.  They can be found at www.ethicanet.org.  They have also started a new Coalition for Change to promote ethical adoption reforms.

7. Check with the foreign country's US consulate. They may be aware of any problems with the professionals you are considering.

8. Check with the US consulate in the foreign country. The INS officer there is the one responsible for issuing orphan visas and should be very attuned as to what adoption agencies, facilitators and attorneys have a history of problems.

9. Consider hiring or consulting an experienced and reputable adoption attorney in your area to protect your emotional and financial interests. While some may view this as an unnecessary budget-breaking additional expense, spending a few thousand dollars here can sometimes save you from losing tens of thousands of dollars to