If 2018 had the “summer of scam,” then we’ve since entered the era of the scammer docuseries. Last October, Peacock released Anatomy of Lies, a can’t-look-away deep dive into the wild story (and storytelling) of former Grey’s Anatomy writer (and non-cancer-haver) Elizabeth Finch, and now, ABC is dropping a new series called Scamanda, based on the extremely popular Lionsgate true-crime podcast of the same name. Both shows are about a young Christian wife and mother who also faked having cancer in order to scam her community out of over $100,000. (Seriously, why is this the scammer trend du jour?)
Here, everything you need to know about Scamanda the show, and Amanda Riley the titular scammer:
Who is Amanda Riley?
In 2012, Riley started making a name for herself as a California-based Christian mother and proto-influencer who was suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, convincing friends, extended community members, and followers of her blog to donate appoximately $106,272 toward her alleged treatment. This went on until at least January 2019.
Riley posted photos of her medications, her hospital visits, and even the hair loss she allegedly suffered as a side effect of chemotherapy, creating a dedicated “Support Amanda” website and holding several fundraisers on her own behalf. Riley raked in everything from money and free event tickets to a guitar signed by country singer LeAnn Rimes over the better part of a decade, but there was just one problem: She didn’t actually have cancer. In 2015, she was exposed when future Scamanda producer Nancy Moscatiello received an anonymous tip about Riley’s deception and began to look into the matter, turning over the evidence she found to the San Jose, California, police department. The IRS raided Riley’s home in September of 2015, but it took another five years for Riley to be officially charged with wire fraud.
How did the Scamanda podcast become so popular?
It appears that the whole world still loves (to hate) a scammer. Journalist Charlie Webster’s podcast Scamanda—which first aired on May 15, 2023—has won two Webby Awards, dominated the No. 1 spot on podcast charts in 16 countries, and became the most downloaded, listened to, and shared podcast on Apple worldwide in 2023. “It was important for me to say, ‘Okay, is Amanda this really horrible bad person? Is she this charming person? Is she somebody that it was all about money? ‘I want some money, and I just thought I’d lie about cancer to get money?’ Or was she somebody that was complicated, that needed validation, that was maybe addicted to the attention that she kept getting?” Webster said in a recent interview with Parade.
Where is Riley now?
Spoiler alert: behind bars. Riley pleaded guilty to wire fraud in 2011 and was sentenced to five years in prison, as well as being required to pay restitution to the victims of her scam. Riley showed contrition at her sentencing hearing, telling the judge: “There aren’t enough words to adequately express how horrific I feel and how sorry I am that this happened. My heart aches every day, thinking that I did something that hurt other people. This is the worst thing I’ve ever done and the worst mistake I could have made.” (It should be noted that the judge wasn’t entirely buying it, replying to Riley: “I can only imagine that, over eight years, you were as sincere to those people as you appeared to me today, and I have to say that in listening to you today, I could only imagine what a good act you had for eight years in front of churches and community groups and in your blog and online and with your children.”) Riley’s two sons are being raised in Austin, Texas by her husband, Cory Riley, who has claimed he didn’t know Riley was lying about having cancer.
How can I watch Scamanda?
Scamanda will premiere on Thursday, January 30th on ABC and will be streamable on Hulu the following day.
