Scamanda tells the extraordinary story of Amanda C Riley, who scammed friends, family and strangers to help pay for her fake cancer treatment.
Over eight weekly episodes, the true crime podcast lays bare the story of a callous crime netting more than 100,000 US dollars, that ended when 37-year-old Riley was imprisoned for five-years in May 2022.
Hosted by journalist and Lionsgate Sound Creative Director Charlie Webster, the series also details how Riley’s seven-year ruse left the Californian city of San Jose stunned.
Scamanda is the latest podcast from Hollywood movie studio Lionsgate’s newly created off-shoot Lionsgate Sound, which snapped up Melbourne-born Jaxson McLennan as part of a top-flight team tasked with establishing the new business in 2022.
McLennan is a former producer at Melbourne’s KIIS 1011, he says: “Hopefully getting the podcast out there means we can raise awareness and help put a stop to this kind of crime happening in the future.
“We’ve already seen a similar scam in Australia, it’s heartbreaking to think that people would use human suffering to con people out of their hard-earned savings.”
Charlie Webster said the team at Lionsgate Sound was constantly searching for unique stories, and the wild tale behind Amanda Riley’s crimes fit the bill.
“The psychology of what this woman did to manipulate and infiltrate her community using the power of social media is fascinating,” he said.
The series has topped podcast charts in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, while also reaching #1 on the Spotify True Crime charts in the UK, Ireland, and the US.
Scamanda is now streaming on all podcast platforms.
