FEDERAL WAY, Wash., Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Police in Federal Way, Wash., said they are investigating whether a Craigslist posting for an unborn child up for adoption involves a real child.

Federal Way police spokesman Raymond Bunk said if the 23-year-old woman described in the online posting is actually pregnant and attempting to find adoptive parents for her unborn child, authorities could help her do so legally, The Seattle Times reported Saturday.

"Maybe she's just ignorant of the law, and we can point her in the right direction," Bunk said of the unidentified woman, who claims to be five months pregnant and seeking adoptive parents willing to pay her medical expenses.

Under Washington state law, advertisements for adoptions can only be conducted by the Department of Social and Health Services or licensed agencies.

State law does allow for independent adoptions and it is legal for the adoptive parents to pay for a pregnant woman's medical expenses.

Carol Mikkelsen, director of programs for the Amara adoption agency in Seattle, told the Times that independently seeking adoptive parents through advertisements could be problematic.

"You don't know who will respond," she said. "Also, we worry that the birth parents aren't going to get the services that they need."