Cancer Scammers | Vanessa O'Rourke, Tara Enoka, Michelle Bodzsar

Timestamps:
(8:55) - Maternal Instinct Discussion
(13:55) - Cancer Scammers

With the rise of crowdfunding, there has also been a rise in fraudulent fundraising schemes being carried out.

In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss three separate cases where women have faked cancer diagnoses in order to raise money for personal use:

• American woman Vanessa O’Rourke told friends and family in 2015 that she had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a deadly form of cancer. She raised money for fake experimental treatment and fled to Australia. She is currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.
• Australian mother-of-four Tara Enoka created a YouTube channel in 2021 titled ‘Stand with Tara.’ She spoke about being diagnosed with cervical and breast cancer. Fundraising efforts for Tara raised over $35,000 before her fraudulent scheme was uncovered. Tara never had cancer.
• Australian mother Michelle Bodzsar developed a gambling addiction during the pandemic. A few years later, after her young son suffered an eye injury during a trampoline accident, she saw an opportunity and ran with it. Michelle faked a cancer diagnosis for her son - even shaving his eyebrows and his head to make her story believable. Michelle has been jailed for her crimes.

Read our blog for these cases - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2026/06/14/social-scammers-june-2026/

GoFundMe has repeatedly stated that fraudulent campaigns account for less than 0.1% of all campaigns (fewer than 1 in 1,000).

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