Iowa TikTok Star Charged For Alleged GoFundMe Cancer Scam
Jan. 31 2023, Published 6:15 p.m. ET
An Iowa woman who was famous for sharing her alleged cancer treatment journey on TikTok was charged for scamming donors for thousands of dollars after it was discovered she was never diagnosed with the illness, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Madison Russo, 19, claimed she was diagnosed with stage 2 pancreatic cancer. After physicians noticed discrepancies in her viral videos, the teen was arrested on January 23 and hit with criminal charges for allegedly scamming $37,000 from 439 individuals who donated towards her treatment.
Russo caught viral attention when she shared her heartbreaking tale of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on TikTok, after a "football-sized" mass was allegedly discovered on her spine, according to the Daily Mail.
Russo said that after her diagnosis, doctors gave her an 11% survival rate for five years. The Iowa teen also claimed she received 15 rounds of chemotherapy treatment and 90 rounds of radiation between February and October 2022.
Authorities allege that the Iowa teen fabricated her story to maliciously gain from followers.
Russo claimed Biotin prevented hair fallout from chemo.
Medical professionals who viewed Russo's viral posts noticed inconsistencies throughout her account — specifically the cords and tubes she showed off in TikToks from her numerous rounds of "chemo."
The discrepancies were so alarming that medical professionals reported the TikTok page, which sparked an investigation by the police.
Police obtained medical records from health facilities that Russo alleged she received treatment. The records showed that Russo had never been diagnosed with a tumor or mass, nor did she receive cancer treatment.
Investigators also claimed to have discovered evidence of Russo using real cancer patient's social media photos as her own, in an attempt to add credibility to her ongoing claim.
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The discovery led to police obtaining a search warrant for Russo's apartment.
Local news KWQC reported that at the Iowa teenager's home, police recovered a brown paper bag with medical supplies, various wigs, an IV pole with cotton balls in its pump, boxes of transparent medical dressings, and a prescription for pain medication that allegedly belonged to a relative.
In addition to finding a plethora of medical supplies at her residence, authorities also looked into a GoFundMe page that was set up for donations to go towards Russo's alleged treatment.
In total investigators found that Russo had accepted donations from at least 439 donors, which included amounts from cancer foundations and school districts.
As of January 19, four days prior to her arrest, the GoFundMe page had raised $37,303. The donation page has since been taken down.
Russo was charged with theft by means of deception and faces up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.