Gabby Petito's Family Warn of Online Scammers Impersonating Them

BLUE POINT, NY — Gabby Petito's family took to social media this week to warn followers about online scammers who are impersonating them and asking for funds.

The slain Long Islander's father, Joseph Petito, shared a screenshot on Instagram of messages from someone pretending to be him and asking for money donations for a mural, and then telling the person: "We deeply appreciate you and your thoughts being with us during this time."

The person — believing it was Joseph Petito — then responds that they would love to spread the word about the donations.

Then the scammer tells them to be sure to send a message to his "wife", adding, "You all God (sic) angels we love you all."

Petito captioned the screenshot, writing that it is an account trying to scam people on Instagram, and it's "this kind of stuff" that makes him "sick."

"We would never do this," he wrote, adding, the hashtag, scammers suck!

Petito was found strangled to death last September near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, is believed to have killed himself in a swamp in Florida. The Federal Bureau of Investigation later revealed that Laundrie claimed responsibility for her death in a notebook that was found with his remains.

In a Tweet on Wednesday, Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, also tipped her nearly 70,000 followers off to the scam.

"Twitter fam, just a heads up ... someone is trying to scam money in my name," she wrote. "I will NEVER message anyone asking for donations, ever! Please share."

She ended the post with, "people are awful!"

Petito, a native of Blue Point, set out with Laundrie on a cross-country road trip in her van last summer. She had been documenting their trip as a "Van Life" couple on social media and had dreams of becoming an influencer. She was reported missing to Suffolk County police by Schmidt one year ago this weekend after Laundrie returned to his parents' house in Florida in her van, but without her.

In the wake of her death, Petito's family founded The Gabby Petito Foundation with aims to help other families who have lost their loved ones and other victims of domestic violence. The organization has since raised thousands of dollars toward its cause, as well as helped open a shelter for battered women in Florida.

In a tweet two weeks ago marking the year anniversary of Petito's death, Joseph Petito wrote that her family cries every day for her loss.

Petito credited his daughter for inspiring so many "to live, travel, and leave their unhealthy relationships."

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