A sperm donor who fathered up to 60 children using different names has been exposed – because all his children looked the same.
The unnamed man, from Australia, allegedly used four different pseudonyms to donate sperm to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
But he was found out when some of the parents met at a barbeque, and realised their children looked very similar, The Herald Sun reports.
After ringing IVF clinics across the country, they found the donor had only used one official clinic, but also sold his sperm on Facebook.
Dr Anne Clark, from Fertility First in Sydney, confirmed her clinic used the donor only once, but said he had been offering his services online in exchange for ‘gifts’.
It is illegal in Australia to pay or give gifts for human sperm, carrying a jail term of up to 15 years.
But an increasing number of couples are turning to online forums offering donations.
The man was only part of one IVF clinic, but used Facebook to offer his sperm to a wider audience
Facebook groups such as Sperm Donation Australia and Australian Backpackers Seeking Sperm Donation both have posts from childless couples looking for help.
Aimee Shackleton of charity Donor Conceived Australia, which wants tougher laws, said: ‘People talk about meeting up in a car park or hotel and passing over a fresh sample.