Ethan Rhodes
Amanda Riley, also known as 'Scamanda', deceived more than 300 people into believing she had cancer. She spent nearly a decade soliciting donations from loved ones and strangers to fund her medical bills, trips, gifts, and other personal expenses. To support her claims, Riley shaved her head, posted photos of herself in hospital beds, falsified medical records, and forged physicians' letters. She also claimed to be undergoing treatments that were not available at the hospitals she visited, raising suspicions about her story. Despite facing charges and serving a prison sentence, Riley continues to exhibit signs of feigning illness, with prosecutors suggesting she may have Münchausen syndrome.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time period | 2012 to 2016 |
| Duration | 4 years |
| Total money obtained | >$100,000+ |
| Number of people who gave money | 300+ |
| Methods of obtaining money | Donations, babysitting services, trips, gifts, tickets to events |
| Methods of deception | Blog, social media, strategically shot selfies, fainting, claiming dehydration, walking around hospitals, disposable medical supplies, falsifying medical records, forging physicians' letters, shaving head |
| Hospitals visited | Multiple |
| Cancer type | Hodgkin's lymphoma |
| Stage | 3 |
| Number of relapses | 4+ |
| Number of children | 2 |
| Number of emergency room visits in prison | 24 |
| Prison sentence | 5 years |
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What You'll Learn
Faking illness and fainting to get admitted to the emergency room
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived more than 300 people into believing she had cancer for nearly a decade. She solicited donations from loved ones and strangers, receiving more than $100,000 for medical bills, trips, gifts, event tickets, and other benefits. She claimed to be battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, alternating between remission and relapses at least four times from 2012 to 2016. Riley shared two children with her husband, Cory, and they often took her to the hospital to prove her illness.
Riley's scheme was exposed when an anonymous tip was sent to investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello, who embarked on a five-year investigation. Moscatiello discovered inconsistencies in Riley's blog, such as treatments that were not available outside of a hospital setting and medicines that required laboratory refrigeration. It was also found that many of the clinical trials Riley claimed to participate in were not held at the hospitals she mentioned.
Moscatiello noted that it wasn't particularly challenging for Riley to fake her hospital visits. She would feign illness and faint to gain admission to the emergency room, where she would claim dehydration and receive an IV. She also freely walked around hospitals, following signs to reach the wards she needed. Many of the supplies she used, such as syringes, were disposable items readily available in emergency rooms.
If one wishes to fake an illness to gain admission to a hospital, it is advised to complain of chest pain and first go to the emergency room with all personal documents to facilitate the process.
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Falsifying medical records and forging physicians' letters
Falsifying medical records
Falsifying medical records is a type of healthcare fraud, which costs the US approximately $68 billion annually. It involves making unauthorised changes or fabricating patient documents. This includes modifying patient information, such as symptoms or diagnoses, to fit certain treatments or outcomes. Healthcare providers might backdate records to justify procedures or prescribe medications retroactively. Fabricating lab results or creating fake patient visits are other tactics used.
Some common examples of falsification include altering dates to cover up mistakes in treatment timelines and adding false information to suggest treatments that never occurred. In digital systems, records might be manipulated by exploiting software vulnerabilities, making alterations harder to detect.
Falsifying medical records carries severe legal, medical, and ethical consequences. Individuals found guilty of altering medical documents can face criminal charges, civil lawsuits, hefty fines, and even jail time.
Forging physicians' letters
Forging a physician's letter is an unethical practice that can have serious repercussions. While it is illegal, some people may forge a doctor's note to get out of work or to avoid other commitments. Forging a doctor's letter is a type of fraud and can be considered a criminal offence. In the case of forging a doctor's note, individuals may use a fictitious doctor's name or obtain a letter from a doctor's office without the doctor's knowledge.
How Amanda Riley faked hospital stays
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", faked a cancer diagnosis for nearly a decade. She solicited donations from loved ones and strangers, claiming to have Hodgkin's lymphoma and alternating between remission and relapses. She received various benefits, including money, meals, babysitting services, airfare, health supplements, and free places to stay.
Riley would fake illness and fainting to get emergency room admission. Once admitted, she would claim to be dehydrated and receive an IV. She also walked around hospitals, following signs to get to the wards. She obtained supplies, such as syringes, which are commonly found in emergency rooms and are disposable items.
Riley's ruse was eventually uncovered when an anonymous tip was sent to Nancy Moscatiello, who began investigating and found inconsistencies in Riley's blog.
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Soliciting donations from loved ones and strangers
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived more than 300 people into believing she had cancer, soliciting donations and support from them. She strategically used her blog, social media, and selfies to portray herself as a young wife and mother battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, alternating between remission and relapses.
To solicit donations, Riley infiltrated new groups, such as affluent churches and private Christian schools, taking advantage of their charitable nature. She gained their trust by giving gifts and handmade crafts and then, after a few months, would suddenly "relapse". This manipulation of her supporters' emotions allowed her to obtain money, meals, babysitting services, airfare, health supplements, and free accommodations.
Riley also used her blog and social media platforms to ask for monetary contributions directly. She preyed on people's kindness and religious motivations to fund her supposed treatments, raking in more than $100,000. She even went as far as to shave her head to make it seem like she was undergoing chemotherapy.
The deception went on for nearly a decade until an anonymous tip in 2015 led to an investigation by Nancy Moscatiello, who spent five years gathering evidence. Riley was eventually charged and pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2021, receiving a five-year prison sentence.
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Using strategically shot selfies to manipulate her audience
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived more than 300 people into believing she had cancer. She claimed to be battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, alternating between remission and relapses from 2012 to 2016. To support her claims, she shaved her head to appear as though she was undergoing chemotherapy, posted photos of herself with medications and in hospital beds, falsified medical records, and forged physicians' letters.
Riley strategically used selfies to manipulate her audience and perpetuate her deception. She shared photos of herself in hospital beds, holding bags of disposable supplies, and posing with medications. These strategically shot selfies were shared on her blog and social media platforms, eliciting sympathy and support from her followers.
One particular photo shared by Riley on her blog raised suspicions. Upon zooming in, Reddit users discovered that the medication in the photo was actually expired pain medication prescribed to someone named Kevin. This discovery highlighted Riley's deceptive tactics and her exploitation of her audience's empathy.
In addition to the visual evidence, Riley's blog posts and social media updates played a significant role in perpetuating her hoax. She provided inconsistent details about her treatments, claiming to participate in clinical trials at hospitals she never visited. Her elaborate ruse included soliciting donations for medical bills, resulting in her collecting more than $100,000 from loved ones and strangers alike.
The revelation of Riley's deceit left many of her friends and followers shocked and dismayed. Despite her eventual conviction and imprisonment, the impact of her manipulative actions had far-reaching consequences, underscoring the power of strategically crafted visuals and narratives in shaping public perception.
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Faking hospital stays in prison to get an early release
Amanda Riley, also known as 'Scamanda', deceived more than 300 people into believing she had cancer and scammed them out of more than $100,000 in donations. She claimed to be suffering from Hodgkin's lymphoma, alternating between remission and relapses at least four times from 2012 to 2016. To convince others of her illness, Riley shaved her head, posted photos of herself with medications and in hospital beds, and falsified medical records. She also exploited her religious community's charitable nature to solicit donations.
Riley was eventually exposed by investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello, who received an anonymous tip and conducted a five-year investigation. In July 2020, Riley was charged with wire fraud and, in October 2021, she pleaded guilty. She was sentenced to five years in prison.
During her first 18 months in prison, Riley was taken to the emergency room 24 times for various complaints, including chest pains, rapid heart rate, and a cut to her head. Her attorneys argued that these hospital visits and her purported medical conditions warranted an early release from her sentence. However, prosecutors accused Riley of continuing to fake her ailments in prison, citing reports from medical professionals who caught her attempting to manipulate test results. The judge agreed with the prosecution, denying Riley's request for early release due to her history of feigning illness and the skepticism expressed by her treating medical professionals.
While it is unclear whether Riley's husband, Cory, was aware of the scam, he was not charged with any crimes as it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he knew she was lying. Riley's stepdaughter, Jessa, however, believed that her father had an idea of what was going on.
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Frequently asked questions
Amanda Riley, also known as 'Scamanda', faked hospital stays by feigning illness and fainting to get emergency room admission. Once admitted, she would claim to be dehydrated and get an IV. She also walked around hospitals, following signs to get to the wards. She preyed on people's emotions and used her blog and social media to gain sympathy and financial support.
An anonymous tip was sent to investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello, who then conducted a five-year-long investigation into Riley's claims.
Riley was charged with wire fraud in July 2020, specifically based on the donations that were made to her online. She pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
No, Riley did not have cancer. She was diagnosed with Münchausen syndrome, a psychological disorder involving the feigning of illness to win others' nurturing.
