Woman Scams Donors Out of $37,000 By Faking Cancer Diagnosis on TikTok and GoFundMe
- Madison Russo, a 20-year-old from Iowa, pleaded guilty to first-degree theft for pretending to have pancreatic cancer and leukemia to steal money from donors.
- Russo took photos from real cancer patients' social media accounts and posted them as her own to help sell her story.
- Russo raised over $37,000 from more than 439 donors across multiple platforms including GoFundMe, various charities, schools, and individuals.
- After Russo's scam was revealed, GoFundMe banned her from the platform and refunded all donations.
- Russo faces up to 10 years in prison for her theft and fraud.