World Of Secrets - The Child Cancer Scam: 4. The contract

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

A mother from Ukraine signs a contract, hoping that it will help her young daughter. Viktoriia has a brain tumour: her story is plastered all over social media despite her family’s request that the video they made isn’t shared. Olena says she wasn’t given time to read the contract properly. When we look more closely, it makes for shocking reading. Now she knows the truth, she wants to stop the scammers, agreeing to help us go undercover. 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.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. I am Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union in 1962. And I'm Max Kennedy, the nephew of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. We explore what was a terrifying moment in history. The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. How close the world came to nuclear war. And what they had to do to pull it back from the brink. The bomb.

and Khrushchev. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. So we're approaching the border between Poland and Ukraine. And I never thought this would be the kind of story that would bring me to Ukraine of all places. May I collect your passport? Yes. But this is where I found the family of a little girl called Victoria, who appears in this recent Chancellor Tikva video.

Her family lives in Chenevsi in Western Ukraine. Olena Fisova gives me a warm, welcoming hug. She has striking black and green eyelash. and red hair. It's her day off from the hospital, where she works as a nurse. Her daughter, who they also call Vikusa, is five years old. She has a long scar on her bald head and is recovering from her third brain tumor operation. When she sees me, she steps behind her mother and starts to cry.

Olena lifts her up. and comforts her, and then leads me into their living room that's full of toys. On the table, I pull out my laptop, and I show Elena the active online and social media campaigns for her daughter. So this is a Facebook page that they created, and it says, Victoria, when hope is not enough. And you can see it has 4,000 followers and nearly 4,000 likes as well. And they created it in multiple languages. So this is the English version, and I found a French one and one in Czech and other languages as well. Olena frowns, her gaze fixes on the screen.

There are so many comments from people who donated money, wishing them well. I've scrolled down and we're now looking at a post from August 16th, 2024, and in it is you and Victoria sitting on a bed. you're both wearing dressing gowns. And again, the post is written as if you were saying it. I want to tell you that I can't believe it. I really feel like it's a dream. I see your efforts to save my daughter and it deeply moves us all.

It's a race against time to raise the amount needed for Victoria's treatments. Did you write those words? No. I've never written about it, I've never spoken about it, and I've never posted these photos. I double-checked, I asked them where these photos and videos were going, because I didn't want everyone in Ukraine or elsewhere to see my child's suffering. I didn't want that. They assured us it wouldn't be publicized.

O'Lena wipes her eyes, clasping her knees with her hand, She rocks back and forth. She's clearly upset. I wish it never existed. And people wouldn't get rich on someone else's tragedy. It's not even about the money. It's about the situation. The situation is that families are suffering.

I ask if she herself would like to try and stop it. She immediately nods and says, yes. It's wrong and it has to stop at some point. Someone has to stop it This is World of Secrets Season 10 The Child Cancer Scam A BBC World Service investigation

I'm Simi Jolla Oshow Episode 4 The Contract It's April 2024. Outside, an air raid siren goes off in the distance. Inside her apartment, O'Lena is trying to keep things quiet. To let Victoria sleep, she's recovering from an operation. One day, she gets a phone call from a woman called Tatiana Haliafav.

who says she works for a foundation. Her voice is smooth, almost rehearsed. She says foreign sponsors can offer financial help if they film Victoria in hospital. The thing is, we had already been discharged from the hospital. And at that particular time, Vikusia was not undergoing any medical tests, so there was nothing to film. But Tatiana insists they can stage it.

They explained to us that the sponsors had to see that something was being done medically to the child. We had to be on the ward. So a few days later, they meet again at a clinic in Chenevzzi called Angulholm. Victoria is put on a hospital bed where she sits, awkwardly. Fluorescent lights buzz overhead as a cameraman with a goatee called Oleg sets up and starts to film her.

Victoria is getting more and more distressed. She starts to cry when she sees that a needle is going to be inserted into her arm. Olena says they wanted tears. It was very uncomfortable, really unpleasant. Uncomfortable for us and for the child. She was like, Mom, please come and comfort me. I was restraining myself.

I stood back. I didn't comfort her. But at that moment, I understood that it was necessary. It's what they wanted. After filming, Oleg calls the sponsors. Olena remembers him saying they were in America. He asks whoever is on the line if the videos are enough. There's a pause.

He hangs up and turns to Alena. And then he said, the sponsors have agreed to help you. And he gave me a document, a contract, where it was written, Help for Children. Here, he said, sign it. I'll give you the money so that our sponsors have video evidence. She says he then handed her a thousand five hundred US dollars in Ukrainian currency and filmed her accepting it.

Olena's head is all over the place. I signed it, and that's how it all ended. Olena insists both Tatiana and Oleg reassured her the video they filmed was only going to be viewed by the sponsors. This is the actual campaign page. It's only now that I've shown her that she knows it was viewed by many people. people who appear to have donated more than a quarter of a million dollars for her daughter, Victoria.

I ask what's going through her mind, seeing the campaign live on the Internet and raising money. First, anger. Anger. Disrespect, despair. I don't even know how to describe these feelings. But when I saw these videos, these emotions when my daughter was crying, when she was, I can say, forced to cry. And I understood that it was all staged to manipulate people's feelings by using a child's illness. It's really scary. I don't know how these people live with God.

It's not just business. It's a big sin. It's hard to imagine that people can really make money out of such tragedy. And it's very hard to accept. that something like this really exists. Now that she knows the truth, Olena wants to help expose it. She's agreed to try and set up another meeting with Tatiana

so that this time we can secretly record it, to hear what promises she makes to families, and to hopefully have her reveal who she is reporting to. So a couple of days later, I return to Olena's home. She gives me a hug. She looks determined, ready for the task at hand.

We head into her kitchen where Victoria is sitting. She's munching away on biscuits. Olena offers some to me too and a cup of tea. So I know we discussed a couple of days ago what we should say to Tetiana and you said that you would be open to saying that you need help again and asking for her help and possibly to film videos again. I just want to check that that's

you're okay with going forward with that still. Yes, if it is going to help, of course. So we'll make the call now. Just keep it simple. Don't go into too many details. Just ask her questions. How can she help? What does she want you to do? And also you can stick to the truth as as possible as well, when it comes to her treatment and so on, let Tatyana do the talking. Okay, let's just go back. Hello. Tetyana, hello. How are you? Yes, Alonogska? How are you doing? We're in trouble. They found another tumor in her head. Are you serious?

We already had an operation and are now recovering, but having some problems. I wanted to ask, you mentioned before that you can help us, and we did not call you then. Where are you now? We're in Chernivti. They've let us come home for a bit. The doctors are having a joint meeting to decide what to do next, and then we'll know. You remember, it was quite expensive for us in Kiev. And I don't know how much money we will need. Tell me, how does she look now?

You remember that we need a picture. Her eyes are a bit crossed, and she can walk, but with help. She can't walk on her own after the operation. Does she have hair? She has very short hair, like a boy. We need her to be without her. You need her to be bold? Take a picture and send it to me.

Her hair looks like it's been trimmed. Take a picture. and send it to me. I will ask Oleg. This is such bad news. It's such a pity, Alon. What can you do? Yes, it is. Okay, so will you be able to help us, or is it not guaranteed?

It is not guaranteed. I can't tell you 100%. As I say, send me a photo showing what the situation is now, and I will deal with it immediately today, and by the end of the week, you will have a response. Okay, thank you. I will send it. Okay.

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. How are you feeling after that call? Now I feel better, calmer, because I understand the situation. It's unpleasant, but it's okay.

Then, as instructed, Olena sends Tatiana a photo of Victoria with a head. with a head bandage and then waits. A few hours later, Tatiana calls back. She wants to meet. I am Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union in 1962. And I'm Max Kennedy, the nephew of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. We explore what was a terrifying moment in history.

The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. How close the world came to nuclear war. And what they had to do to pull it back from the brink. The bomb, Kennedy and Khrushchev. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. The night before Elena is set to meet Tatiana again and secretly recorded. The city experiences what it's been dreading. Ukraine serves Russian forces attacked with 26 long-range missiles and nearly 600 drones

overnight, having four people in the western city of Chenevzi is dragged into the war for the first time. Olena and Victoria are forced to take shelter. We spread our blankets in the hallway where there are not there are no windows and lay there. Of course, we couldn't really sleep. But we lay down, we prayed, we talked. It was scary. It's a very unsettling experience.

Not one you want before an undercover meeting. But Olena is determined to go ahead with it. One of our team, Katia Malafrava, is going with her to the meeting with Tatiana. She's posing as a friend of Olena's and is the one wearing a hidden recorder I'm with Elena in the hospital and we're waiting for De Tiana to come

she should come within the next 20 maybe 30 minutes the time aches I'm a little bit nervous I didn't sleep until 5.5.30 am in the morning because I was anxious Olena seems too we'll do our best

Finally, Tatiana arrives. She's wearing a t-shirt, and her reddish-blonde ponytail is sticking out of her baseball cap. She's eyeing Katia suspiciously. The news is not good because one child can't receive support twice. They can't help, she says, because Olena and Victoria were given some money before. The money on the day of the first. On top of that, she says Olena hasn't sent enough new photos. And without this, there is nothing to talk about.

They wanted to be clear that the child has cancer. So it's necessary to prove the child is ill? Katya asks. It's not about proving it. It just needs to be visible. As I said, the child should be bold. Then Katia asks her what the name of the charity she's working for is. It's Oleg who is reaching out to them, not me.

He oversees that part, and he said, Don't give them hope. I will try, but at the moment we have a refusal because there is nothing to see. If you want, you can call him. Then Tatiana says she has to go, and wishes Olena, good luck. Katia and Olena head to a nearby park to breathe and debrief. I just want to digest because it's been quite emotional.

Tatiana, her eyes did say that she was hiding something from us. You don't believe her, although she's quite a good actress. And the problem is that we didn't get what we wanted. We didn't get the name of the organization. If you work with this organization for two years, you definitely know the name of the organization. But I just want to ask Alene about her feelings. But you for What you did for

She's, what you know what she's She's lying? I realized she's lying. I don't know how involved she is or if she's just following instructions. Maybe Oleg told her not to say anything. I don't know. Maybe like me, she's genuinely scared of something.

Today I saw that she's lying. It's unpleasant. I don't know if anything will. come of it. But I really feel powerless here. I can't prove anything. So we need to call Oleg, the cameraman who Tatiana says is the one in direct contact with the charities. I check him out online and find that he also goes by the name, Alex Cohen. A couple of weeks later, Katia calls him. Hello?

He repeats what Tatiana said, that they can't do another video with Victoria. But then, Oleg says, there is a way they might be able to give O'Lena more money. I just wanted to say that the number of families will help really matters to the organization. So, for example, if through O'Lena we can reach someone else, if she could recommend maybe two or three families that need help, Then we could also support O'Lean in return. Ah, I understand. Like getting a commission?

Put very bluntly, yes. So the offer is to turn O'Lena into one of their recruiters. Katia then tells him she's looking for help for another friend who also has a child recovering from cancer. Could they apply for financial assistance? We want to see what he's. he says, to new families. The most important thing for the sponsors is the photo,

the one where the child has no hair. Even if the child is already in remission, you can still see that they've been sick. And, God forbid, they might get sick again. Katia asks him how much money the family can expect to receive. He assures her a payment of $1,000 on the day of filming is certain. But he says, if the campaign is successful, there will be more money. If the parents agreed to make a video, then we would be talking about $8,000 to $10,000.

If this material goes on social networks, they first need to cover the costs of promoting the campaign. And after that, everything that comes into the account will be giving to the families. But this definitely hasn't been the case with the families I've spoken to. Victoria's campaign online says it made $335,000 US dollars, Khalil's $27,000, and Anna's $250,000. But from that, the amount the family received was zero. Oneness says she was given verbal assurances that the videos of her daughter would not go on social media,

that they would only be seen by the sponsor. But unlike Algin and Seirio, Olena did get a copy of the contract she signed on the day of filming. And it says something quite different. One of the clauses reads, The organization may determine the fundraising methods, select the fundraising platform, produce videos for donors, and invest in promoting the campaign via social media. Olena says Tatiana approached her, asking her to do the video and offering money. But the contract again says something.

very different. The family has approached the organization with a request to finance and manage a fundraising campaign on their behalf in order to raise the necessary funds for the child's treatment and to cover medical expenses as needed. The organization will open a bank account for donations and direct deposits in favor of the campaign. The funds will be managed and supervised by an accountant appointed by the organization. In the family fee section at the bottom, it says there'll be a one-time payment of $1,500 U.S. dollars upon signing the contract, which Alena says she did receive, but then it says there's going to be more money. A further payment of $8,000 will be made upon reaching the fundraising threshold of

blank. On Alena's copy, the amount the campaign needs to raise before she gets this amount has been left empty. And it even states, Should the family or any person acting on their behalf choose to conduct fundraising simultaneously, independently and separately from the fundraising platform selected by the organization, it shall be considered a material breach of this agreement. So if they don't tell the organization that anyone else is offering to help them, then they have breached the agreement.

Olenna says she wasn't given enough time to read or understand this contract but she has basically signed away her control of the campaign or of any fundraising for her daughter Before ending the call with Oleg our undercover reporter Katia asks him about the charities or organisations he's working for Those organizations are in the US. There are several of them, and each time it's a different one. I hate to put it this way, but they work kind of like a conveyor belt.

There are about a dozen similar companies operating there. We pass information along to them. There are ones like St. Teresa and Little Angels. Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. There is always a demand. Always a demand. Let's put it that way. Little Angels, St. Teresa. These are new names.

But when we look them up on a register of non-profits in the US, we find a familiar name. Erez Hadari. Olena says she wants to call Olai herself to confront him with what she's learned about Victoria's campaign, I ask her to wait just a bit because we need to investigate more closely the charity behind it. At the top of Elena's contract, there's an address for Chancellor Tikva. It's in Brooklyn, New York. I check it out on Google Maps. It doesn't look like an office, but like a house. So I ask my colleague in the US, Natalie Jimenez, to have a look. I'm in Brooklyn right now.

It's one of New York's five boroughs and about a 20-minute drive from our BBC office in Manhattan. So first of all, this does not feel like what a typical New York scene would look like. So busy streets, a lot of shops. It's a very residential neighborhood. What I'm seeing right now are small red brick houses. They all kind of look the same. There's this uniform look. There's neat front lawns, bikes, laying out front, looks like they belong to kids.

So immediately, I think, families. And in particular, I'm in an area called a Borough Park. It's home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the city. You can see it, you can feel it. It doesn't seem like there are any businesses or big buildings around here. It's really just homes. So I'm going to knock on the door,

see if anyone answers and can tell me something. It looks like someone may be in the house. I just saw someone go in before me with a child. It seemed like his father. So I'm hoping they'll answer the door. That was really interesting.

I just rang the doorbell and no answer. I looked around and it seemed like there were bikes in the front lawn, like there were toys, like there were strollers, so it looked like some type of nursery, but all the blinds were closed and there was no way of me being able to see what it looked like on the inside, even though I had just seen a father go in with his small baby and a stroller. So it didn't seem like they were willing to speak to me. Since nobody came to the door in Brooklyn,

I tried the U.S. numbers for Chancellor Tikva. Still no answer. The other place Chancellor Tikva is registered is Israel. Israel and Israelis keep on coming up in this investigation. I need to go and see for myself. but it's far from easy to find the answers I'm looking for. Chance of Ticva. A charity, you've not heard of it.

So we basically just had to flee the Chance of Tickfah address. There was a lot of people grouping around us, and it became kind of scary. That's next time on World of Secrets. If you have any information you would like to share with me about this investigation, you can send an email to simi at bbc.co.uk. This has been episode four of six of season 10 of World of Secrets, the child cancer scam from the BBC World Service. Remember, if you don't want to miss new episodes of World of Secrets,

then follow or subscribe so you get new episodes. automatically. The child cancer scam is presented and investigated by me, Simi Jala O'sho, with Jack Goodman and Ned Davis. In Ukraine, our reporter is Katia Malafieva. In the U.S., it's Natalie Jimenez. It's written and produced by Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson. Rebecca Henski is the executive producer, and the sound design and mix is by Andy Felt.

Voiceover by Katarina Kinkalova. Irina Terranyuk, Jeffer Imarov, and Danielle Kaye. It's a BBC I production for the BBC World Service. I am Nina Khrushcheva, the great-granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union in 1962. And I'm Max Kennedy, the nephew of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. We explore what was a terrifying moment in history. The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

How close the world came to nuclear war. And what they had to do to pull it back from the brink. The bomb, Kennedy and Khrushchev. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.