Vulnerable women lured by illegal sperm donor services on social media

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Vulnerable women lured by illegal sperm donor services on social media15 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleGemma DunstanBBC Wales Investigates BBCWomen are at risk of "exploitation by predatory donors", the UK's fertility regulator warnsWomen desperate to become parents are being harassed for sex and offered cheap, illegal sperm samples online. Some of those unable to access fertility treatment are seeking out options on social media sites, which is driving a growing unregulated market – with some even turning to "Tinder for sperm" websites. A Wales investigation paid £100 for a next-day delivery sample from a man who advertised his "baby batter" online and sent it in a box with a frozen carton of tomato passata.

The UK's regulator for fertility warned women were at risk of "exploitation by predatory donors". Wales Investigates used an alias to order sperm from Joe Donor, here's what was deliveredAs part of the investigation, I set out to see how easy it would be to source sperm online - and there was no shortage of men offering their services. One online advert tells me I can "rely" on a man called Joe Donor for a delivery in the post.

The Details

He's a prolific donor who claims to have 180 children around the world conceived through sex and artificial insemination. In a rare move, he was named publicly as Robert Albon by a family court judge after a case in Cardiff, to warn of the dangers of unregulated sperm donation. We contacted him using an alias, and it only took a couple of emails and a short phone call to arrange a next day delivery from him.

He didn't ask us to verify who we were or offer any health checks for us to look at. He charged us £100 in cash, sent via post, for a syringe of sperm which came chilled by a box of tomato passata acting as an ice block. A licenced clinic checked the sample four hours after we received it and said all sperm cells were dead.

Albon questioned how we had stored and transported it. He said enough sperm for fertilisation usually did survive his delivery process and he had "many successful pregnancies" this way. Albon and hundreds of other men have used Facebook to connect with women looking for sperm - some groups have up to 40,000 members.

I joined a donor group with a blank profile and, while I had some messages that seemed genuine, many offered sex or suggested costs for samples, asked for intimate images and persistently messaged to try and make arrangements. FabulousJoe Donor isn't shy about being a donor and has given lots of interviews about it, including with The Sun's Fabulous magazineSome of the men continually pushed for sex and tried to persuade me that it would be the cheapest and most effective option. I saw one woman warning she had received a donation from a man in north Wales who she then found out was a convicted sex offender.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.