Madison Marie Russo was a 19-year-old college student at St. Ambrose University who, for actual reasons we may never know, decided to fake having cancer. Her scheme began on TikTok where she spread her story to thousands of people willing to listen, pray, and follow her along her “cancer journey.” It wasn’t until anonymous witnesses brought her story to the police, citing medical discrepancies in her story. Investigators subpoenaed her medical records and it confirmed what many suspected - Maddie did not have cancer. But for months, she was able to solicit $37,303 on GoFundMe, not to mention that she was supported by several foundations, funds, and schools. She tricked innocent people into giving her money to fight a disease she never had. Maddie was thankfully arrested and charged with theft by means of deception in January of 2023, and in October was finally sentenced to 3 years probation and restitution.

The Ohl Strong Foundation: https://ohlstrong.org/

Project Purple: https://www.projectpurple.org/

Scamanda episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iOd6qpdweVxRh6IhiStjk?si=acc07fc0d7ab4b84

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