Logan Reid
Amanda Riley, also known as Scamanda, deceived donors and the public by pretending to have cancer for nearly a decade. She shared photos and videos of her health journey, including images of herself in hospital beds, with IVs, and holding medication. She also posted photos of herself at hospitals on her blog and social media accounts, claiming to be receiving cancer treatment. Riley's elaborate scheme involved her husband, Cory, and her mother, Peggy, who supported her false narrative and solicited donations for her bogus cancer treatment.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Amanda Riley |
| Alias | Scamanda |
| Occupation | Principal at a private Christian school |
| Location | San Jose, California |
| Scam | Faked having cancer for 8+ years |
| Evidence | Photos of medications, photos of herself at hospitals, photos of herself allegedly suffering the side effects of chemotherapy |
| Methods | Claimed to be dehydrated to get an IV, walked around hospitals to find the right wards, used disposable items from the ER |
| Motive | Money |
| Amount | Over $100,000 |
| Outcome | Pleaded guilty to wire fraud, sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Amanda Riley pretended to faint to gain access to hospital wards
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived people into believing she had cancer and convinced them to donate money to her cause. She was able to do this for almost a decade, defrauding hundreds of donors of more than $100,000.
Riley shared photos of herself in hospitals, hooked up to IVs, holding vials of medication, and syringes. She also posted photos of medications, some of which were expired and prescribed to someone else. In one instance, she posted a photo of pain medication prescribed for a dog.
To gain access to hospital wards, Riley pretended to faint, which would get her admitted to the emergency room. Once there, she would claim to be dehydrated, resulting in her being given an IV. Other times, she would simply walk around the hospital, following signs to get to the wards she needed.
Riley's husband, Cory, and her mother, Peggy, also known as 'The Roaring Goddess', supported her claims of illness and would accompany her to the hospital. They would also vouch for her being sick and tell others they "held her hand through chemo".
Riley's scheme eventually came to light when an anonymous tip was sent to an investigative producer, Nancy Moscatiello, who worked with a San Jose police detective, Jose Martinez, to uncover the truth. They discovered inconsistencies in her blog posts, such as treatments that were not available outside of a laboratory setting and medicines that required specific storage conditions. Additionally, hospitals that Riley claimed to have visited confirmed that she had never been a patient there.
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She took photos of herself with hospital supplies, IVs, and syringes
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived people into believing she had cancer and conned them out of money for her treatments. She shared photos and videos on her blog, documenting her supposed health journey. These images included pictures of herself in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs, and holding syringes and vials of medication.
Riley's blog posts featured detailed descriptions of her fake treatments, including mentions of white blood cell counts, Neupogen shots, and clinical trials. In one instance, she wrote about undergoing brain surgery and even shaved her head to make it appear as if she had lost her hair due to chemotherapy. She also posted photos of medications, some of which were expired or prescribed to someone else.
To obtain hospital supplies for her photos, Riley took advantage of her visits to the emergency room. She would feign illness or fainting to gain admission and then claim to be dehydrated, which often resulted in her receiving an IV. She also had access to disposable items commonly found in emergency rooms, such as syringes. Additionally, she was seen leaving the hospital with a "bag of supplies" that nurses provided, which could have been used as photo props.
Riley's husband, Cory, and her mother, Peggy, supported her scam. They accompanied her to hospitals and vouched for her illness. Peggy even publicly shared emotional statements about her daughter's battle with cancer. However, despite their involvement, proving their knowledge of the scam beyond a reasonable doubt proved challenging for prosecutors.
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She posted photos of expired medication prescribed to someone else
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived people into believing she had cancer and convinced them to donate money to her cause. She pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court in connection with a scheme to solicit donations from individuals to help her pay for cancer treatments she never needed nor received.
Riley posted photos of medications, photos of herself at hospitals, and photos of herself allegedly suffering the side effects of chemotherapy. She even shaved her head to make it appear as if she had lost her hair due to chemotherapy. When Reddit users zoomed in on one of her photos, they noticed that the medication was expired pain medication prescribed to someone named Kevin.
Riley's deception extended beyond social media. She and her husband, Cory, would take people to the hospital to prove that she was ill. Once there, she would feign illness or fainting to gain admission to the emergency room. She would then claim to be dehydrated, which would result in her receiving an IV. She also had a bag of supplies with her, which included disposable items commonly found in emergency rooms, such as syringes.
Riley's actions highlight the dangers of prescription drug misuse, which can have serious health and legal consequences. It is important to remember that taking a prescription drug that is not prescribed to you or sharing your medication with others is illegal and can lead to addiction and other problems.
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She had her husband and mother vouch for her illness
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived people into believing she had cancer and convinced them to donate money to her. She was able to do this with the help of her husband, Cory, and her mother, Peggy, who went by the name "The Roaring Goddess". Peggy publicly expressed her anger at the universe for threatening to take her daughter away from her illness. She and Cory vouched for Amanda's sickness, claiming that they had accompanied her to hospital visits and chemotherapy sessions. They also took her to the hospital to prove that she was unwell.
Cory and Amanda Riley had two sons together, and Cory supported her throughout her trial. While some believed he was aware of the scam, it was acknowledged that it would be challenging for prosecutors to prove this in court. Cory has not faced any charges in connection with Amanda's deceit.
Amanda's mother, Peggy, also played a role in perpetuating the lie. In addition to expressing her anger and concern publicly, she may have attended doctor's appointments with Amanda, as mentioned in a Reddit post discussing the situation.
Amanda went to great lengths to maintain her deception, even shaving her head to make it appear as if she had lost her hair due to chemotherapy. She posted photos of herself in hospitals, with medications, and allegedly suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy. She also wrote detailed blog posts about her supposed treatments, white blood cell counts, and clinical trials.
The scam was eventually exposed when an anonymous tip was sent to an investigative producer, Nancy Moscatiello, who then involved a San Jose police detective, Jose Martinez. Martinez was able to verify the facts presented in Amanda's blog and discovered inconsistencies in her claims. For example, the treatments she described were not available outside of a laboratory setting, and the hospitals she claimed to have visited had no record of her as a patient.
As a result of her actions, Amanda Riley pleaded guilty to wire fraud and faces significant legal consequences, including a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine. A docuseries called "Scamanda" on ABC and Hulu chronicles her elaborate deception.
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She posted photos of herself with a shaved head
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", deceived people into believing she had cancer and convinced them to donate money to her. She posted photos of herself with a shaved head on her blog in recognition of Lymphoma Cancer Awareness Month. She also posted photos of medications, as well as photos of herself at hospitals and suffering the alleged side effects of chemotherapy.
Riley admitted that she intended to deceive people and devised a plan to obtain money from donors by falsely claiming she had Hodgkin's lymphoma. She shared details about her fake health journey, including discussions of white blood cell counts, Neupogen shots, and clinical trials. She even claimed to be undergoing brain surgery and wrote about her experience with chemotherapy while pregnant.
To maintain her ruse, Riley would feign illness and fainting to get admitted to the emergency room. Once there, she would claim to be dehydrated, which would result in her receiving an IV. She also walked around hospitals, following signs to get to the wards she needed. Many of her “supplies," like syringes, were commonly found in emergency rooms and were disposable items.
Riley's scam was eventually exposed, and she was charged with wire fraud for scheming to solicit donations to pay for cancer treatments she neither needed nor received. She pleaded guilty in federal court and admitted to her deception.
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Frequently asked questions
Amanda Riley, also known as "Scamanda", pretended to faint to get admitted to the emergency room. Once there, she would claim to be dehydrated and get an IV. She would also walk around hospitals, following signs to get to the wards. She posted photos of herself in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs, and holding vials of medication.
Amanda Riley's bag of supplies included disposable items that could be easily found in an emergency room or outpatient unit.
The photos showed Amanda in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs, holding vials of medication, and close-ups of syringes.
Yes, she did. However, when Reddit users zoomed in, they noticed that the medication was expired pain medication prescribed to someone named Kevin.
Yes, she did. She posted a photo of herself with a shaved head in recognition of Lymphoma Cancer Awareness Month.
