The messages demand ransom in the form of money, gift cards or Bitcoin

Scammers have been trying to prey upon the family of Savannah Spurlock, the 22-year-old mother-of-four who has not been seen since leaving a Lexington, Kentucky, bar nearly three weeks ago.

WKYT spoke to Ellen Spurlock, Savannah’s mother, who said she’s frustrated by the fact that people see opportunity in her heartbreak.

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“It’s very cruel. Very,” Spurlock’s mother told the station. “I mean, if these people that are doing this would think about what they would be doing in my situation, they may stop.”

Ellen says she has been contacted through social media by fraudsters claiming to have her daughter and demanding ransom in the form of money, gift cards or Bitcoin for her safe return.

The messages indicate that if the ransom is not paid within 12 hours, her captors will sever some of Savannah’s fingers or even disappear with her forever.

Image zoom Savannah Spurlock Richmond Police Department

“She’s only worth a thousand dollars?,” Ellen asked, speaking to WKYT. “I mean, at least make your story more believable.”

Image zoom Surveillance footage shows Savannah walking with two men the night she was last seen Richmond Police Department

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Ellen has limited her responses to the scammers, even calling them out in several messages only to have them suggest she does not care for Savannah’s safety.

One response from a scammer warned, “No more nice games,” while another said, “We will vanish and so will Spurlock.”

These attempts to defraud Ellen are also distracting from the mission at hand.

“They have to investigate everything they get, no matter how silly it seems,” Spurlock said. “Yes, they investigate all the rumors, and see that holds up on what they really need, to find the truth.”

Savannah Spurlock is the mother of four children — including twin babies who were born last month.

She was last seen in the parking lot of The Other Bar on Friday Jan. 4, Richmond Police Department said in a news release shared on Facebook.

In photos obtained by surveillance cameras, Spurlock can be seen walking off with two men. Police have identified and interviewed those men, but no arrests have been made.

Investigators have not said if they believe Savannah disappeared as a result of foul play.