29 Jan 2024

The cancer con that captured a global audience

From Nine To Noon, 10:18 am on 29 January 2024
The hit podcast 'Scamanda' tells the story of how America's greatest cancer con was uncovered.

The hit podcast 'Scamanda' tells the story of how America's greatest cancer con was uncovered. Photo: Lionsgate Sound

Investigative producer, Nancy Moscatiello, uncovered a scam so outrageous it hid in plain sight for nearly a decade - at the heart of it, a charming, young Christian. Amanda C. Riley started a blog when she was 'diagnosed' with Hodgkins Lymphoma.

It was 2012, blogging was just starting to gain traction on the internet and the tragic story of the young mum of two, dying from cancer, soon captured the hearts of a church community, then America. As hashtag Team Amanda went viral, the money for 'treatment' came pouring in, but then an investigative producer received an anonymous tip, and decided to take a closer look.

The story of the unravelling that followed became a hit podcast series 'Scamanda'. Kathryn spoke to the investigative producer behind the scenes, Nancy Moscatiello.