What is Scamanda all about? Hulu's docuseries on the viral cancer con artist Amanda Riley

The Hulu docuseries Scamanda will air on ABC on October 9, 2024, before streaming on Hulu the next day, October 10, 2024. Pilgrim Media Group, a division of Lionsgate Alternative Television, produced the documentary for ABC News Studios. Scamanda is based on Lionsgate Sound's popular podcast of the same name, which debuted on May 15, 2023.

The four-part docuseries tells the story of Amanda Riley, a young Christian mother and wife, who claimed to have stage 3 blood cancer. However, it was revealed later that Amanda had been faking her diagnosis for years.

She defrauded people into donating over $100,000 towards her treatment and medical expenses. She was caught and given a five-year prison sentence for her scam after an anonymous source tipped a journalist about Amanda's scam.

The official synopsis of Scamanda reads:

"Wife, mother and blogger Amanda Riley's tragic cancer tale captivates thousands, but after an anonymous tip to an investigative reporter, her own words may prove to be her downfall."

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The real story behind Scamanda explored

A screenshot taken from the trailer of Scamanda (Image via Instagram/@Hulu)

A devout Catholic and prominent member of her local church, Amanda Riley was a young wife and mother. She had previously worked as a teacher and elementary school principal in Northern California.

In 2012, she began telling her family and friends that she was diagnosed with a type of stage 3 blood cancer called Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Soon after her diagnosis, Amanda began documenting her illness and treatment through a blog on her website. She also began posting about it on social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (now X).

Amanda went to great lengths to maintain her deception and even posted pictures of herself in hospitals getting treatment. She also shared photos of falsified medical records, forged medical certificates, and physicians’ letters. Amanda shaved her head to keep up the appearance that she was getting chemotherapy.

Amanda raised funds by speaking publicly about her medical condition at events and became kind of a local celebrity for giving hope to others in a similar situation. Overall, she duped 349 people into donating a total of $105,513 between 2012 and 2019.

In July 2020, the federal authorities filed criminal charges against Amanda Riley, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in October 2021. She was sentenced to five years in federal prison in May 2022.

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The Scamanda podcast covered her story

An image from the Hulu series (Image via Instagram/@Hulu)

A podcast on Amanda's fraud scheme, also titled Scamanda, was released in May 2023. Journalist and podcaster, Charlie Webster, hosted and produced the podcast that explored Amanda's scandalous story over eight episodes. The podcast became a huge hit and reached the top of the Apple Podcast charts multiple times during its run.

Charlie began investigating Amanda's story in 2021 after hearing about it from fellow journalist Nancy Mosciatello. Nancy was the first person to look into Amanda's story, after she received an anonymous tip. The journalist spent five years trying to uncover the truth.

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Plot summary

Scamanda tells the story of how Amanda Riley faked having terminal cancer for seven years from 2012 until 2019. She manipulated her family, friends, and local community into donating more than $100,000 for her treatment.

The docuseries features exclusive interviews with Amanda's former friends and a neuropsychologist who shares insight into Riley's mindset. The series will also see interviews with police and IRS investigators involved in Amanda's case. It will have some material that Moscatiello and Webster collected during their separate investigations.

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All episodes of Scamanda are set to premiere on ABC on Wednesdays, starting October 9, 2024, at 10 pm ET. The episodes will be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.