Nancy Guthrie Sheriff Sounds Alarm Over Twisted New Scam Exploiting Missing Mom Investigation Months After Abduction

Months after the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the community has now been rattled by a twisted scam, RadarOnline.com has learned.

This time, the Pima County Sheriff's Office warned about a fake fundraiser spreading across social media. "The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is aware of posts circulating about the Guthrie Investigation that include a QR code requesting money," a statement from authorities read. "PCSD will never ask for money related to this case or any investigation."

The posts in question include a QR code after prompting users to send over money. However, the police have warned not to scan the code or give money to anyone they don't know, and to avoid being exploited.

"Ignore it and report it,” they instructed, adding, "Stay alert and help spread the word."

The social media scam isn't the first time criminals have attempted to make money off the unfortunate disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's mother.

Recently, a truck, which depicted an AI-altered image of a woman wearing a face mask, was spotted driving through Tucson. The advertisement called on the public to help with the investigation.

Additionally, faux ransom requests have become a problem for authorities.

After Nancy, 84, was reported missing on February 1, authorities immediately suspected there were bad actors involved. Their suspicions were confirmed quickly after a series of ransom notes hit the media demand Bitcoin in exchange for Nancy's return.

While some were taken seriously, others were immediately ruled to be shams. A California man named Derrick Callella pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment using a telecommunication device after calling and sending texts regarding a bitcoin transfer to Nancy’s family on February 4.

While authorities took a series of notes under advisement, they advised the family to not send over any money. The family publicly offered to pay the ransom, but ultimately decided not to.

Later in the investigation, authorities confirmed the ransom notes were not real. "None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine," the FBI official told Reuters.

The sheriff's spokesperson, ⁠Angelica Carrillo, added on June 30, "We don't have any updates, other than this is still an active investigation."

Nancy was reported missing after failing to show up at a friend's home. Authorities were immediately sent to her Catalina Hills home, and nearby agencies like Border Patrol were called on to assist in an investigation.

However, later evidence confirmed the matter was more grave. They obtained video footage of an individual on Nancy's front porch in the early morning hours. She was believed to have been abducted from her home, but there was no video of her exit released to the public.

Local officials have been at odds with the FBI from early on in the investigation, the federal agency claimed. According to Reuters' sources, the Pima County authorities were hesitant to let the FBI assist, particularly when it came to testing key evidence.

Sheriff Chris Nanos denied the reports. He told local TV network KVOA, "Actually, the FBI just wanted to send the one or two they found by the crime scene, closest to it – mile, mile and a half . . . I said, 'No, why do that? Let’s just send them all to where all the DNA exist, all the profiles and the markers exist.' They agreed, makes sense."

Nonetheless, a reward of over $1million is being offered in the Nancy Guthrie case. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.