New Disney+ series about cancer scandal just like Apple Cider Vinegar

An upcoming series about a woman who lied about her cancer diagnosis to pocket a fortune is coming to Disney+.

Similar to hit Apple Cider Vinegar, Scamanda tells the story of Amanda Riley — a wife, mother, blogger and Christian — who is diagnosed with Stage 3 blood cancer.

Riley shared her experiences online and gripped thousands of readers and followers with her journey on a blog titled, Lymphoma Can Suck It.

Riley had also accepted roughly $100,000 in donations to cover her non-existent medical bills.

Amanda C. Riley’s brother even began raising money online for her, calling his sister “a ray of sunshine in all our lives.”

Yet a tip-off from an anonymous source to an investigative journalist leads to her downfall, and her lies come crashing down.

Fraudster Amanda Riley lied about her cancer and pocketed thousands of dollars in donations (Image: ABC)

The series is based on the original podcast Scamanda, produced by British journalist Charlie Webster. Her podcast was the most popular podcast in 2023 in the US charts.

Scamanda features interviews with the IRS agent who covered the case, Riley’s friends and family and asks a psychologist why someone would commit such a scam.

Archive interviews with Amanda Riley are included within the documentary, but she declined any new or follow-up interviews for the new series.

All episodes of Scamanda will arrive on Disney Plus in the UK on Friday, February 21 and on Wednesday, February 26 in Australia.

The series has already been released in the US on Hulu and ABC and attracted rave reviews.

This new four-part documentary series is being produced by Pilgrim Media Group, a division of Lionsgate Alternative Television, for ABC News Studios.

Amanda Riley

Amanda Riley documented her fake battle with stage 3 cancer on her blog (Image: ABC)

The series will also disclose how Amanda shaved her head to make it appear as if she had lost her hair as a result of chemotherapy and also forged medical records and letters.

Amanda was arrested on federal wire fraud charges and later pleaded guilty to her crimes. Riley was sentenced to five years and ordered to pay restitution equaling the amount of the donations in September 2022.

She is currently serving her sentence at Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.

Amanda Riley

New Disney series docuseries Scamanda examines how Amanda Riley faked her cancer diagnosis (Image: ABC)

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