UPDATEJanuary 30, 2025:The story ofScamandais coming to the silver screen.
Nancy Moscatiello, the investigative producer who got the original tip on Rileys scam, will also appear.
In 2023,Glamourchatted with Webster all about the podcast and the case against Riley.
Lionsgate Sound
That story is below.
This content can also be viewed on the site itoriginatesfrom.
Ahead of the finale, she sat down withGlamourto discuss her shows viral success and burning questions from listeners.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Glamour:How did you first hear about Amanda Rileys case?
She wasnt doing it as a news story; it became really personal for her.
She said she was basically trying to prove that this woman didnt have cancer.
And I was like, Oh, tell me more.
And then I was like, Who is this woman?
I started to look into it independently because I wasnt sure at this point what was going to happen.
Thered been no conviction.
Amanda hadnt pled guilty.
It just felt so complex to me, behaviorally and psychologically.
CW:In 2021.
I was like, This is just a really interesting story.
Let me see what I can first find out.
And then it was later that I was like, Oh, this could be a really good podcast.
It seems like, just like the listeners, the story hooked you immediately.
What drew you in?
CW:When I first looked into this, Id not really heard of anybody faking cancer.
So I was shocked but also curious.
Were you able to read the full blog?
CW:Yes, I have read all of her blog posts and there were a lot!
To give an idea, she had her blog live for over seven years.
She would go quiet for a bit and then come back on and go quiet again.
Theres roughly seven-plus years worth of blogs, and at times she posted two, three times a week.
So you’ve got the option to imagine how many that is.
Were there any parts of the blog you wanted to include but couldnt?
CW:The pictures.
You just look at those pictures and youre just like, what?
And theres the pictures of her family at fundraisers, her and her husband and the kids.
Theres a picture that matches every claim she made, basically.
And I think thats what I wouldve loved to have been able to give listeners more of.
But legally Ive gotta be careful of what I put out.
I cant just post the blog posts everywhere.
Id love to do that, but I cant.
People have posted them online, and it truly looks like she was a patient.
Howd she do it?
CW:So my understanding is she did actually go to the hospital.
Theyre not fake photos.
And then she would say things like she got dehydrated or she had cancer and she was dehydrated.
Shed turn up in different ER rooms and then take photographs.
She also would get medical equipment, which I was like, Howd you get medical equipment?
Actually its really easy to get medical equipment.
you’re free to go and buy it from a medical store.
The second big question listeners have is about Amandas husband, Cory.
He was never charged in the case.
In your opinion, did he know what was going on?
Okay, well, thats another mystery for the online detectives to dig into.
Where is Cory now?
CW:He is looking after his two kids in Texas, where Amanda is serving her sentence.
Jessa then became one of the first people to grow suspicious of Amanda.
How are Jessa and Aletta doing now?
CW:It has been a really hard journey for Jessa.
But shes doing really well.
Shes got her own little place and shes got a lovely husband who she went to school with.
I think shes doing a lot of healing.
And the same with Aletta.
She was made out to be the bad one and the one that was lying.
And I think for the first time she feels like she has credibility, you know?
It wasnt her lying.
What do you think the main motivation was for Amanda to do this?
She was idolized; she was like a local celebrity.
I think that just carried on and carried on.
You now have this huge community really interested in this story.
Are you interested in exploring other scammer stories?
Yeah, I think so.
Without saying too much, Im looking at, lets say, other stories of this kind of manipulation.
