If you're looking for a new podcast and you like true stories about grifters and scammers, here's one you should download right away! It's called "Scamanda" and tells the story of Amanda Riley who, in 2012, after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, started a blog to document her cancer journey. Turns out she never had cancer, though, and the whole thing was a ploy to scam her community and her supporters out of over $100,000 in cash donations.
The podcast was created by Lionsgate Sound and features reporting by journalist Charlie Webster. Lionsgate describes the podcast:
Amanda is a wife. A mother. A blogger. A Christian.
A charming, beautiful, bubbly young woman who lives life to the fullest. But Amanda is dying, with a secret she doesn't want anyone to know.
She starts a blog detailing her cancer journey, and becomes an inspiration, touching and captivating her local community as well as followers all over the world. Until one day investigative producer Nancy gets an anonymous tip telling her to look at Amanda's blog, setting Nancy on an unimaginable toad to uncover Amanda's secret.
Award winning journalist Charlie Webster explores this unbelievable and bizarre, but all-too-real tale, of a woman from San Jose, California whose secret ripped a family apart and left a community in shock.
Scamanda is the true story of a woman whose own words held the key to her secret.
I've listened to the first two episodes, which are already available—the story is fascinating, and I highly recommend it! I can't wait to hear the rest—the remaining six episodes will be released weekly.
