How To Stop Gabby The Adoption Imposter From Scamming & Disrupting Your Adoption Journey

Gabby is a notorious and irrepressible adoption scammer who seeks out adoptive families and tricks them into believing that she is placing her baby for adoption. In fact she is not pregnant at all. Gabby is what is known as an emotional adoption scammer. She does not represent a physical threat. She does not deceive for financial gain. Rather Gabby preys on the emotions of vulnerable adoptive parents. Her goal is to earn a family's trust and confidence so that she can promise them a baby and string them along (usually with lots of drama) with text after text, call after call, draining their emotions and energy, growing spiteful and angry if questioned, until she ultimately disappears, leaving the family heartbroken and demoralized. If not fully prepared, Gabby will take well-intentioned adoptive parents on a long and tumultuous journey, leaving them confused and questioning the very purpose of their adoption search.

Who is Gabby, the adoption imposter?

Gabby is a twenty-something, mentally disturbed individual who lives with her father in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Health issues prevent her from having a child of her own and this has led her to carry a vendetta against the adoption community. She preys on the sense of hope and optimism that all adoptive parents share and she uses these feelings as a way into their hearts and minds. Unlike most other adoption scammers, Gabby appears to be completely addicted to these patterns of behavior. She cannot and will not ever stop trying to deceive families. Sadly, this appears to be her life's work and purpose.

Is Gabby evil?

Many adoptive parents who have been deceived and hurt by Gabby believe that she is ruthless and even evil. The truth is Gabby is a human being with a great number of deep-rooted emotional and health problems. She deserves our compassion and pity. Even so, over the last several years, she has done terrible things to hundreds, if not thousands, of vulnerable people.

Breaking the Gabby cycle

In order to avoid being victimized by Gabby, there are a few simple rules to follow. First, it is never a wise idea to blindly trust a complete stranger you meet online. Avoid getting too emotionally involved with any person you meet. Trust should always be earned over time and proven through experience. With every adoption connection you make, proceed cautiously, look for red flags, and trust your instincts; they don't often fail you.

If you are new to adoption or adoption advertising in general, get to know all about Gabby (and scammers in general) as soon as possible. Use the links below to study her voice, mannerisms, and methods. You have the benefit of learning from literally hundreds of other families. Take advantage of that. Knowing her game and what to expect when she contacts you is the best way to protect yourself.

What to expect when you hear from Gabby

Gabby is fairly eloquent and able to construct entirely new identities and personas seemingly at will. She goes by many aliases and is constantly coming up with new ones. Check a reliable scam discussion group to keep up with them. Some of her latest names include: Kyndra, Emily, Kendyl, Kali, and Kayla. The names don't really matter. There will be many more identities and false stories to come. But the result is always the same.

Once she has your attention, Gabby may become quite needy. Often she will not stop calling, texting or emailing. This can go on for days or longer, depending on your reaction. You will slowly find yourself being pulled out of your comfort zone, pressured and stressed instead of excited and hopeful. She may also become very nasty if you start to question her authenticity.

Gabby often steals photos from innocent pregnant women on social media and sends these photos to families.

Here are a few of Gabby's actual opening lines that we have seen recently. Take note of the variety of locations and characters:

• "Hi... I’m kinda embarrassed I can’t parent. But I’m Emily from whatcom county in Washington. I am due in July. I’m not sure how to break the ice but are you still looking at adopting?"

• "I'm kourtney from Siouxland Iowa. I am due in June, with twin girls. I'm 24 years old. In college getting my masters for Behavioral Management. The dad and I are spilt up, but we are on speaking terms and we are both on board with adoption. Would you adopt twins?"

• "Hi, I’m Kaly from El Paso Texas. I’m 27 years old. Covered in tattoos, have gauged ears I’m expecting a little boy April second. Are you still looking to adopt?"

Useful Gabby links

Dr. Phil show appearance:

Gabby in the media:

What to do if Gabby is contacting you

There are many ways to quickly identify Gabby. Watching her videos and utilizing adoption scam boards will help. Once you realize who she is, block her emails and phone calls immediately. It isn't worth your time or energy to engage her or to teach her a lesson. Dr Phil was not able to and you won't be able to either. Save your energy, take the high road, and move on as quickly as you can. Your faith and optimism in your adoption journey is much more important than settling a score.

How to stop Gabby

Many frustrated adoptive parents will wonder: why don't her actions constitute a crime? Why can't her father revoke her internet access or take away her electronic devices? These are legitimate questions to ponder. But in the meantime Gabby will go on trying to deceive families. She shows no signs of slowing down - ever. But she can definitely be stopped. If every adoptive parent knows about her, she will lose her ability to gain trust and deceive. Protect yourself with knowledge and due diligence and make sure to spread the word to every single adoptive parent you know.