Nancy Guthrie Case: Sheriff's Department Warn Public As Scammers Launch Fake Fundraisers

Investigation connected to the Nancy Guthrie disappearance case has taken a rather strange turn, putting law enforcement authorities off track. Fraudsters have reportedly created fake fundraising programs related to the case, exploiting public concern to make money for themselves.

Authorities have issued a stern warning to the scammers and urged people not to donate to such programs.

Fifty two days have passed since the 84-year-old was reported missing. She was last seen outside her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31. Although a neighbor has recently shared new information about the case that could help the investigators, no major breakthrough has been reported yet. At such a time, scammers have attempted to exploit the situation through fake fundraising programs.

This has prompted Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos to caution people not to give away their money to such schemes. In a post on X, he wrote, “Important notice regarding fundraising scams in the Guthrie investigation.” In the statement, Nanos warned that there is “no official GoFundMe or any fundraising effort.”

The statement clarified that the displays are funded through official channels. Nanos noted that anyone who claims otherwise is a potential scam and the authorities will investigate them. The Pima County sheriff suggested that the public should remain vigilant and not pay the fraudsters, even as they insist they are raising funds related to the case.

The statement concluded by asking people to call the numbers provided at the bottom of the notice to file a complaint against the scammers. This comes after authorities were flooded with countless complaints from the public responding to appeals for information.

Days after Nancy went missing, reports came out claiming that various media outlets had received ransom notes. According to RadarOnline, authorities refused to share the kidnapping letter in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation. Polygraph expert Lisa Ribacoff-Mooney opined that “the information in the letters have not been corroborated.”

She emphasized that the extortion note could be easily replicated, as scammers could easily learn the tone and the language of the abductor. Ribacoff-Mooney claimed, “It would remove the authenticity of the actual letters.”

It appears that keeping the note sealed has not helped the authorities enough, as they continue to struggle to find the whereabouts of Nancy.