Victims of a scammer who fabricated her cancer struggle - amassing more than $105,000 in donations - have spoken of their fury after learning they were manipulated. Amanda Riley is one of the most ruthless scammers in recent US history after playing her entire community for eight years with her claims she had Hodgkins Lymphoma. Through the Family Community Church in California, Riley spun a heartbreaking story of a mum battling cancer and being weakened by chemo, documenting her journey through her inspiring blog.

Riley went to extreme lengths to back up her claims, including shaving her head to give the impression she'd lost her hair during chemotherapy and posting pictures of herself with IVs in her arm. But the fictional tale was all a ruse, with countless supporters falling victim to her lies and flooding her with donations. Even celebrities were not immune to the scam. Her web of deceit was uncovered after investigative journalists discovered discrepancies between the treatments Amanda claimed she was receiving and what would typically be administered for lymphoma, with Riley later pleading guilty to fraud.

The complex story was the subject of investigative podcast Scamanda, and now a four-part docuseries of the same name. In it, one friend told how she was one of the first to question Amanda's narrative. Lisa Berry said her suspicions grew further when Amanda was seen effortlessly swimming underwater having claimed to have recently had fluid drained from her brain. "That's when it hit me," Lisa said. "This wasn't adding up. And I started thinking about all the stories she told me.".

It was Lisa who reached out to journalist Nancy Moscatiello in 2015 about her concerns, sparking the year-long investigation which would eventually culminate in the truth surfacing. Moscatiello's findings were passed to the authorities who were later able to bring charges. The investigation used the wealth of information Amanda had volunteered through her blog the piece evidence together, before the final blow came from hospital staff who confirmed they had never treated her. In the ABC News documentary, airing on Hulu, victims said "she detroyed trust".

One former donor to Amanda's fundraiser said: "I will never look at another fundraiser the same way again. She was a bright star in our church, in our lives," added another former supporter. "Now we're left questioning everything.". Financial investigator José Martinez told the series he initially found himself in a tricky situation when tasked with probing Riley's story, but as he unfolded the truth the evidence just kept coming. "I'm in this taboo kind of subject matter, where if I pursue this young lady, and she really does have cancer, it's not gonna go well," he told ABC7.

"There were things that weren't lining up like doctors associated with particular hospitals, but not all of those doctors were named as employees of those hospitals," he said. Riley was indicted in July 2020 for wire fraud, ending a deceit dating back to 2012 when she started her "Lymphoma Can Suck It" blog. She pled guilty in October 2021, and was sentenced to five years in prison. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories.