New Disney+ series Scamanda exposes cancer lie that saw woman scam thousands
New Disney+ series Scamanda exposes cancer lie that saw woman scam thousands
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Disney+ is set to release a new documentary series about a woman who faked her cancer diagnosis to pocket around $100,000. Following the success of Netflix's sensation Apple Cider Vinegar, Scamanda focuses on Amanda Riley - a seemingly average wife, mother, and Christian blogger - who deceived the world by claiming she had Stage 3 blood cancer. Her story quickly captured the hearts and attention of thousands online through her stirring blog posts on 'Lymphoma Can Suck It', where she recorded her supposed struggles.
With fans around US and the world praying and supporting her, Riley managed to solicit around $100,000 in donations to foot her non-existent medical expenses. Amanda C. Riley was further championed by her brother's fundraising efforts, which he optimistically dubbed his sister "a ray of sunshine in all our lives.". Yet a tip-off from an anonymous source to an investigative journalist leads to her downfall, and her lies come crashing down.
Inspired by the No. 1 US chart-topping podcast 'Scamanda' of 2023, produced by British investigative journalist Charlie Webster, Scamanda provides an exploration behind Riley's motives. The Express reports the series includes interviews with the IRS official involved in the case, intimate circles of Riley's friends and relatives, and professional psychological insight into the reasons someone would orchestrate such a lie.
Archive interviews with Amanda Riley are included within the documentary, but she declined any new or follow-up interviews for the new series. All four episodes of Scamanda will arrive on Disney Plus in the UK on Friday, February 21 and on Wednesday, February 26 in Australia. The captivating series has already premiered in the States via Hulu and ABC, garnering high praise in the process. This fresh four-part documentary series is being crafted by Pilgrim Media Group, a branch of Lionsgate Alternative Television, for ABC News Studios. The series will also reveal how Amanda shaved her head to mimic hair loss from chemotherapy and forged medical documents and letters.
Amanda was apprehended for federal wire fraud charges and subsequently admitted guilty. In September 2022, Riley was handed a five-year sentence and ordered to repay the sum of the donations. She is currently serving her sentence at Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. Obsessed with Netflix? Get the latest headlines, releases and insider-gossip direct to your inbox with our Binge-worthy newsletter.
