Disney Plus viewers disgusted after bingeing ‘hard to believe’ documentary series
You will be glued to your seat.
Disney Plus viewers have been gripped by a true-crime documentary about an ‘unconscionable’ lie.
Scamanda tells the tale of American church-going mum Amanda Riley, now 39, who lied about having cancer for years.
From 2012 until 2016, Riley said she was battling stage three Hodgkin’s lymphoma and kept her followers updated with her health on a blog.
During this period, the former school teacher’s plight brought in more than $100,000 (£79,000) in donations.
However, Riley had never been diagnosed with cancer and had been using the funds to pay for her lifestyle.
Criminal charges were eventually filed against her and she pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2021. The mother-of-two was sentenced to five years in prison.
Riley shared pictures of herself in hospital – even though she never had cancer (Picture: ABC News/Hulu)Riley’s elaborate scam was documented in podcast Scamanda which has now been turned into a four-part series for Disney Plus.
On X, viewers have described the show as ‘crazy’ and ‘well worth your team.’
@WilmyHood2 said: ‘If you are into documentaries. Check out #scamanda on #Hulu This lady faked cancer for nearly a decade and took tons of money from people. She was so narcissistic. It’s hard to believe. There are 4 episodes, and well worth your time.
@EmpressMitu wrote: ‘Aye, “scamanda” on hulu is different, you can’t make this stuff up #scamanda.’
She also shaved her head as she faked having chemotherapy (Picture: ABC News/Hulu) Riley was sentenced to five years in jail for fraud over the scam (Picture: ABC News/Hulu)@AdultingADHD shared: ‘Two docuseries about people lying about having cancer and these were very high profile cases and not only did they lie, they took thousands of money from so many people like one even had a fundraising team it’s so sickening #Scamanda #AppleCiderVinegar.’
Echoing their sentiment, @ConservativeGG3 penned: ‘I watched the documentary “Scamanda,” which is about a woman who collected HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars by faking cancer. It’s amazing how someone could have that much time on their hands to pull a stunt like that. It’s unconscionable. #Scamanda #Disgusting.’
@Hardtaj1 added: ‘#Scamanda is crazy docuseries.’
Scamanda comes weeks after the release of Netflix drama Apple Cider Vinegar about real-life influencer Belle Gibson who also faked cancer.
The fraudster’s husband Cody and two children – who now live in Texas where she is imprisoned (Picture: ABC News/Hulu)In 2019, Gibson claimed she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and had decided to shun conventional medical treatments.
The Australian scammer alleged that instead of undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, she had cured her cancer through a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Wanting to share her journey with the world, Gibson launched a blog and Instagram account @healing_belle before starting an app called the Whole Pantry aged 21 in 2013.
Netflix has made a drama based on Australian cancer scammer Gibson played by Dever (Picture: Courtesy Of Netflix)She quickly built a loyal following, with the app rep, reportedly downloaded 200,000 times within the first month it was released.
By 2015 it was estimatedGibson’s The Whole Pantry app and subsequent cookbook had generated sales of $1 million (£500,000).
However, her whole story turned out to be a complete lie and in 2017 she was charged with breaking Australian consumer law and was fined $410,000 (£205,000).
In the Netflix drama, Gibson is portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever.
Scamanda is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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