54. What is the best way to handle unwanted attention when out in public with multiples? Also, what do I do if I think someone is pretending to be a multiple birth family (faker/hoax) to get attention or donations from me?

Multiples definitely attract attention! If the attention is inappropriate or you are in a hurry, some parents just nod and explain they are on a tight feeding schedule. Another option is to place one infant in a front or back carrier and push a twin stroller which tend to attract less attention. Some parents just focus on the fact that they were given a very special gift having multiples and are happy that these special children put a smile on other’s faces. MOST offers a great tool for parents to use in just these circumstance.

See the MOST Statement on Media Exposure and Multiple Births for considerations and tips on multiple birth families working with print, TV, radio, and other forms of media.

About Fakers:

MOST's mission is to support multiple birth families through compassion,
concern, and goodwill; however, MOST and the families MOST supports are occasionally the target of individuals who wish to exploit those intentions. Over the years, MOST and other multiple birth/preemie organizations have experienced several incidents where people pretended to be parents or expectant parents of multiple births and/or premature infants, but in fact were not. People fake being a multiple birth, large, or preemie family for a variety of reasons such as to get attention or to con people into giving them gifts or money.

If you suspect you have been contacted by a faker or your family photos may have been used by a faker, MOST recommends that families NOT attempt to confront the suspected faker on their own. The best course of action is to collect the relevant information and contact the MOST office immediately at (631) 859-1110 or by email. 

To help protect families, MOST has developed a detailed protocol to handle these situations objectively but with the safety of our families in mind. We also secure all non-public areas of the MOST Family Support Forums to MOST members only and have a team of moderators who monitor activity on all forums on a regular basis. In addition, all MOST volunteers are provided training on this issue, and have access to list of verified hoaxes/fakers with details about each case for referencing. As additional hoaxes are identified and verified, MOST will notify, as appropriate, the families who may have been in contact with the faker, and reserves the right to ban usernames, email addresses, and IP addresses of verified fakers on our forum  per our Forum Terms of Agreement.

Despite the risk of being victimized by deceptive individuals, MOST fully
believes that the overall benefit of offering support to multiple birth
families and families of preemies far outweighs the negative consequences of a few exploitive individuals. Learn more about Multiple Birth Fakers.

Advice on this topic and many others like this are available from other families of multiples by posting to the MOST Family Support Forums.

See the MOST Statement on Media Exposure and Multiple Births for considerations and tips on multiple birth families working with print, TV, radio, and other forms of media.

MOST has several articles available in our Supertwins Store on these topics:

• Multiples in the Public Domain
• Myths About Multiples
• What is Internet Safety for Children
• Fertility on Display: Multiples After Infertility

• Telling Your Children About Their Conception
• Giving Smart Answers to Unwanted New Questions
• Recipe For Baking Three Cakes
• Visiting Disney

Please Note:
MOST provides these FAQs for informational purposes and cautions visitors not to use the content below to make treatment decisions without personally consulting a qualified health care provider. Reuse of this content without proper citation is a violation of copyright. To obtain permission to use Supertwins 101 content contact MOST.

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Copyright MOST 2005     Updated 5/26/10