World of Secrets - The Child Cancer Scam: 3. The recruiters

The Child Cancer Scam: 3. The recruiters

Download The Child Cancer Scam: 3. The recruiters

A woman called Isabel pushes a little girl to send videos from her hospital bed. It’s part of a recruitment drive for sick children in Colombia to take part in campaigns. What does she know about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that appear to have been raised? It’s money the family never saw. Who was she working for, and what can she tell us about this scam?

Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service.

Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.

Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso
Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies
Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson
Sound design: Andy Fell
Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke
Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green
Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel

Published on Monday, 22nd December 2025.

Available Podcasts from World of Secrets

Subscribe to World of Secrets

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the World of Secrets webpage.