FAQS
Here we have tried to answer the most common and frequently asked questions that we get from our clients. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, feel free to leave us a comment or email us at [email protected]. We’re here to help you answer some of life’s most important questions.
Q: WE ARE NOT GIVING OUR DNA SAMPLES AT THE SAME TIME/PLACE. HOW DO I KNOW THE RIGHT PERSON WAS TESTED?
If you are having your sample collected for a legal test, strict chain-of-custody of samples must be followed, as well as stringent identification checks.
Everyone tested must bring photographic identification (or a birth certificate for newborns), which is photographed and documented, and we compare this to the person who is present giving their DNA sample. In addition, both a photo and a thumbprint is taken of everyone giving their DNA sample to be tested (for babies, we sometimes take a footprint instead). Furthermore, the people being tested are never left alone with their DNA samples, so there can be no tampering or switching of DNA samples.
Occasionally an ‘impostor’ will come in to provide samples for a DNA test; an Alleged Father may send a friend in to have his DNA specimen taken, posing as the Alleged Father. When this happens, the Mother can look at the photograph taken of the man by the sample collector, and she can tell us that the man DNA tested is not the Alleged Father. In addition, we compare the person giving DNA samples with their photographic ID, and we record their fingerprint.
Occasionally, an Alleged Father might worry that even though they can identify the Mother, they may have never seen the baby or it may have been several years since they saw the Child. They want to know how we can be sure we are testing the right Child. It would not be possible for the Mother to bring in someone else’s baby because the test will immediately and very clearly show that it is not her Child, and the paternity testing won’t be able to proceed. We also record thumbprints (or a footprint for infants). In some very rare, unusual cases, it may be necessary to take extra precautions to ensure that the right Child is tested. It may be necessary to have the Child’s DNA specimen taken in front of an attorney/lawyer, an impartial family doctor, or other credible, objective person who can verify the identity of the Child.