In Scamanda, a new true crime docuseries from ABC News, viewers are going to get an even deeper dive into the story of Amanda Riley. Many may already know about Riley, as Scamanda is based on a podcast of the same name, which captured audiences with her rollercoaster story revolving around Riley revealing that she had Stage 3 blood cancer, only for the diagnoses to come into question.
Before watching Scamanda on Thursday, January 30 at 9 pm ET/PT, when the show premieres on ABC, here’s what you need to know about the true story, the podcast that inspired and what more we may still learn from this new docuseries.
What is the true story behind Scamanda?
In 2012, Riley was a young mother and wife in San Jose, Calif., when she said she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She began documenting her journey on her blog, Lymphoma Can Suck It, with pictures and detailed insight into her “condition.” Riley solicited donations and received six figures from hundreds of people, including her church community, for her “treatments.”
Then, someone sent an anonymous tip to Nancy Moscatiello, an investigative producer. Moscatiello spent five years looking into Riley and her “illness,” and after about five years of keeping up the façade, Riley was found to have made the cancer up. The money had really been going to pay for her living expenses.
In July 2020, Riley was charged by criminal complaint. According to the US Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, Riley falsified medical records and forged physicians’ letters and medical certifications. The devout Christian even shaved her head to make it look like she was going through chemotherapy. To make matters worse, she gave false testimony in legal proceedings and attacked whoever said she was faking her sickness (she even sued one of them).
Riley was ultimately convicted of defrauding an identified 349 donors. She was ordered to serve five years in a Texas prison and pay back $105,513 in restitution.
What is the Scamanda podcast?
The Lionsgate podcast Scamanda was released in 2023 and became the No. 1 Top New Show and No. 1 Most Shared Show, as well as the No. 4 Most Followed Show of the year on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Charlie Webster, the true crime podcast detailed the whole story in eight episodes, along with multiple bonus episodes.
How is the Scamanda docuseries different?
If you’ve already listened to the podcast, why watch the show? The Scamanda docuseries features new and exclusive interviews, including with Amanda’s former friends, an IRS investigator who covered the case and a neuropsychologist who dives into the mind of a scammer. There will also be communications between Riley and Webster, materials Moscatiello collected during her investigation, archival assets and more. There’s bound to be plenty of new information you haven’t read or listened to yet.
Scamanda questions we still have
Riley’s story has many parts that have extended over many years, so it’s natural not every little piece of the puzzle has been thoroughly talked about on the podcast. That’s why we’re hoping these questions get answered in the Scamanda docuseries.
How was Riley able to get away with it for so long?
Yes, we know what she said and who she fooled, but how did she manage to be so convincing and get away with it for so many years? Five years is a long time, and Riley had a whole village around her. Was it a matter of people around her not wanting to question someone who they believed had cancer?
Was Riley officially diagnosed with any mental illnesses?
Prosecutors said Riley could have Munchausen syndrome (now called factitious disorder imposed on self [FDIS]), which is a factitious disorder where someone falsifies symptoms of an illness that they don’t have. But was this ever confirmed? Was Riley suffering from this mental disorder or another one at all?
You may remember another famous Munchausen case that involved Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, had Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now called factitious disorder imposed on another [FDIA]). The difference there is that a person puts those falsified symptoms onto another person. Most often, it’s a mother making up fake illnesses for her child.
We hope to get answers to these questions and more in Scamanda. Watch the docuseries on ABC starting January 30, with episodes becoming available to stream on-demand the next day on Hulu.
