World Of Secrets - The Child Cancer Scam: 6. The calls

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

After never receiving the money raised in their children’s name, mothers are finally confronting the scammers and demanding answers. Now is the time to ask why. Where is the money? 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. World of Secrets will be back with gripping new investigations in 2026.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. No fluff, no guessing. When CFA charter holder is on that resume, it means something real. Intensive study, tough exams, relentless drive, true grit, a strong network. Hiring managers get it instantly. The CFA charter is more than letters after a name. It's proof of discipline, resilience, and integrity under pressure. It shows who you are before you even walk in the room.

room. Explore what the charter holder advantage looks like at cFA institute.org. This podcast is brought to you by Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. With Wise, you can send, spend and receive up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps. Plus, Wise won't add hidden fees to your transfer. Whether you're buying souvenirs with pesos in Puerto Vallata or sending euros to a loved one in Paris, you know you're getting a fair exchange rate with no extra markups. Be smart. Join the 15 million customers who, choose WISE. Download the Wise app today or visit wise.com. T-N-C-Capply. It's late evening in Cebu in the Philippines and Algin is getting the kids ready for bed

when her phone goes off. She sees Erez-Hadari on the screen. She's been waiting for this call for weeks. Where are you? I'm in my house. You where? In my house. How are you? You changed your hair?

No. Where are you now? Canada. He's bare-chested and yawning. It looks like he's just woken up. Did you go visit Khalil lately? Yes. I miss Khalil.

I had a dream about you and him. Can I ask you something? Yes. About the campaign of Kalil, how is it? Erez's face drops. What campaign? We don't have a campaign for three years. He turns and looks out the window.

For Khalil? No, it's not, never, nothing happened. Is it true? Yeah. Because I see the link of Khalil's fundraising is still running, but it's not stopped. There's nothing there. There's no, it didn't start. They just did a contesting three years ago. Have you remember the link that I sent you, that there is a money that you have won? It's $27,000, right?

There's what? $27,000. dollars. Algin repeats. Money she saw online that has been raised for Kalil. Yes, there is cost of advertising, so the company lost money. They advertised and advertise and they didn't receive money back. Okay. You understand?

They lost money. I lost money, too. The money that I gave you, the money that I spent and production, I lost. Okay. The atmosphere on the call has become heavy. Algin reads the situation and quickly changes the subject. How are you? I'm good, I'm good, working hard.

Soon taking care of my mother, I have to cut my mother out. She's getting old. She's by herself. Did you cut your hair? A little bit. What time is it there? I think it's already nine. You're living in the same place in Cebu.

Yeah. So you will come here in Cebu? If you want me to come. Why you said that you will come in November, right? Yeah, that's the end of November. I'll call you later because my baby is crying. I'm going to work right now, so I'm speaking a few days. Okay, take care.

Bye. Bye-bye. Algin takes a deep breath and records her thoughts. I don't know why he's saying that nothing happened with the fundraising. When I mentioned the campaign, his face changed. He looked shocked. It explained a lot. I was taken aback and I'm nervous now.

I'm worried he might do something. something to me. This is World of Secrets. Season 10, the child cancer scam. A BBC World Service investigation. I'm Simi Jella Ocean. Episode 6, The Calls. It's a midweek afternoon in October, in Calgary, Canada.

On a quiet, leafy street, the orange autumn colours are out, and so are the Halloween decorations. And two of our team, Boshika and Churag, are parked up in a rental car. So I've been waiting for a while now and no activity as far as, the house is concerned. After Algern's call to Erez, it's time to approach him ourselves. We've got an address for him,

but we need to see if he's there. It's a big house in a smart suburb. A printer and an office chair seem to have been left out on the driveway. On the first day, our lookouts came delivering a bunch of flowers. The idea was to knock on the door and say the flowers were for errors

in order to confirm he's there. knocked a bunch of times we were waiting trying to get somebody to answer the door. I could see that a light was on. So I figured someone is in, but nobody showed up and no one answers the door. And then Chirac notices a neighbor outside his house reading a book. So I went to him and I say, hey, I've been trying to deliver these flowers and I'm not having any luck. But we are here for Erez. Do you know him? He's like, yeah, I know him.

Jewish guy, right? And I ask him, do you have any idea where he could be? So he's like, no, I cannot tell you that, unfortunately. It should be totally okay if you leave the flowers outside, he will get it. On that note, the flowers are gone. The flowers disappeared, but no sign of errors. Days pass and there's not much activity to report at the house until a week later. now it looks very much alive so we have spotted a lady and a kid the lady usually drops the kid to school and then comes back

they see a cleaner going in and two men leaving the house in a vehicle in the morning and then the same vehicle comes back in the evening by a gentleman who looks a little older is a little chubber has like salt and pepper hair and a fairly long beard the old The older guy looks like an orthodox Jew, and the younger guy and the older guys, both of them are wearing the same style of clothes, white shirt, with black suit and black pants. If Ares Hadari was there, I would have flown out to confront him, but he was not to be seen. So, only one thing left to do. I'm in the BBC offices in London and I'm preparing to call Erez

I'm feeling a tad bit nervous because I want to ensure I ask the questions that I know the families would want to ask him I'm going to give him a try on WhatsApp, on Facebook It just says calling. So it means his phone is either off or the numbers disconnected. But I'm just going to try and call him as a normal phone call.

And perhaps predictably, Eras Hedari didn't pick up. So I sent him a voice note, saying I'd like to speak to him about the campaigns and about being on the registration documents of the organisations, like Walls of Hope. I didn't expect to hear back. But then, a day later, I received this text from him. Hello, Simi. Just so you know, the non-profit has never been active since it was opened.

We never used it. we arrange a time to speak but then he doesn't pick up when I call a few days later he messages apparently unwell I there wasn't able to be available available

so I'll do my best tomorrow either morning I guess or in the afternoon which will be or morning, I guess. So, you know, just hard to talk and nauseous.

Okay. Have a good day. I keep trying him. He even says at one point it's possible to meet in person, but then he goes cold. So I send him this voice note. I have evidence that you are running these charities intentionally exploiting children. with cancer, using them to scam donors out of millions of dollars. You deceive the families by promising them money towards treatment,

but you don't give them anything from the donations. You have directed shoots where children are made to shave their heads. They're made to cry using items like fake eye drops. I laid out all our questions and allegations for him. You make families sign contracts they don't understand. You have done this all over the world in various countries. in various countries, in Southeast Asia, in Latin America, and in Europe. I also send it all in a formal email.

What do you say to these families whose children have died while they waited on your promises? Erez Hadari hasn't responded. There were no physical offices for Chancellor Tikva or Walls of Hope, and no one who worked for them picked up on their phone numbers. But both organisations have email addresses on their websites, so I put all our allegations and findings in writing. I never received a response, but after I sent it, something did happen. Okay, so no one from Chancellor Tikva is getting back to me,

yet their website is now down. I've gone to Chancellortikva.org. and all I can see is a notice. This account has been suspended. Contact your hosting provider for more information. So someone's clearly taken down the website. Chance-Latiktha.com is also down and doesn't work. Yet no one is responding to any of my texts or emails or letters.

But it seems they are covering their charts. This investigation has often felt like water through our hands. Organisations posing as charities appear, make vast sums of money and then disappear or change names. But what always remains the same, whether the campaign raises tens of thousands of dollars or nearly a million, is that none of that money goes to the families. This is his old stuff. You've kept it nice and neat and sealed up in the box still. When I visited Aljan in Cebu, she showed me many of Khalil's things that she kept.

His bike, his toys, his clothes are all carefully stored away. These his shoes. But he never used it. She brings out a shiny new pair of black and red trainers still. in the box. Because he is in the hospital. He wants to wear it but he can't. He said that how can I wear that one if I'm sick?

So what does keeping it mean to you? Why have you kept it in the... So that I can have memory with him. I need to keep all his things. She shows me his I love New York hat. He wear this when he has to go to hospital for chemo. And in the corner of the room, of the room, there's a small shrine dedicated to Khalil.

So it's for the memory of Khalil, so we made this one. A cut-out photo of him, smiling with a hat on, alongside candles and little statues of saints. We do pray here. This is our statue of saint. Okay. Which saint? Santinu. Next to the shrine, a colourful poster pinned to the wall has the word words, happy ninth birthday in heaven, Khalil Jaden Tabasa. Algin always believed that if the money donated to Khalil's campaign had been passed onto the family to pay for his medical treatment, he would be alive today.

I have to find strength every day. It's not easy. But I must, so I don't overthink. There are so many memories, especially in our house. It feels like he's there with us. I miss his voice, his smile, and the way he hugged me. I miss these things every day. At the hospital in Chenevzi in Ukraine, Olena is sitting in her small office after a nursing shift. Papers and pens are neatly arranged on her desk.

She's staring at the screen of her phone, deep in thought. The contact is up, ready to call. This is not one she ever wanted to make. or a situation she ever wanted to be in. She needs to confront Oleg, or Alex Cohen, the man who organized and filmed the video of her daughter, Victoria, the one who we know liaised with the organizations in America and gave O'Lena the contract.

He also offered her a commission if she helped recruit more families to film. Well, the main thing I want from this, for me, for all, for them. The main thing I want from this, is the truth. Because it's bad for everyone, not just for me. I want to put an end to it somehow, so it doesn't happen again. Oleg, good afternoon.

I wanted to clarify some things with you. I'm not happy talking about it, but anyway. Aleneid tells him she's seen a fundraising campaign for her daughter, Victorique. online and across social media. How did they end up there? Who put them there? Show me, please. Share it with me. I remember my conversation with you and Titiana,

and you told me that it wouldn't be published anywhere, because I really didn't want it to be on social media. Of course, I'm in shock as well. I can tell you that. I'll be making calls and sorting things out. I saw the photos. Then I saw the amount. raised, it was more than $250,000. I don't know where that money went. Who collects it?

No, no, no, no, no. We need to sort it out, no doubt about it. So you don't know who it is. It says, chance Litigva on the contract I sign. No, I don't know. If I knew, first of all, we were trying to add more material so that we could collect more money. But if there was money collected, we would know about it and call you right away. Olena reminds Oleg that she was in a desperate state when she signed the contract he gave her. But now reading it again, it refers to more payments, money she never received. Look, first of all, if that's true, if we can really get in touch with them to sort it out, then we will get all the documents, all the invoices.

Because if they really did it without your permission, we will fully resolve it with you. Okay, because I saw it, and I'm just really shocked. I want to find out who makes money with it. How is it possible to use the child's feelings? I really don't know. Okay, so now what? How long should we wait? Could you please send me this link and I'll start contacting them right away?

As soon as I have an answer, I'll call you. Okay, goodbye. Thank you. Bye-bye. After the call, Olena leans back on her chair. I don't know. I have mixed feelings. I didn't really learn anything new. And the answers were a bit unexpected. I thought he'd act differently, maybe in a rude way.

But he didn't. And again, it's confusing, because with my trusting nature, I feel somehow he's not to blame for all of this. The Free Birth Society made millions selling a simple message to pregnant women. You don't need ultrasounds, doctors or midwives. You can free birth. But behind the scenes, terrible things were happening.

I feel ashamed about this, but I didn't think that the deaths were bad until a year after I left. Subscribe to the Guardian Investigates feed to get all the episodes of the birthkeepers. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts, out now. A day after Olena calls Oleg, he sends her a message. He tells her Chancellor Tikva has found her records.

A Russian-speaking representative will call her from either the US or England to explain things. Shortly afterwards, a man called Sir Roger does call Elena, claiming to represent Chancellor Tikva. He tells her all the money raised for Victoria has been spent on advertising. The campaign, he tells her, has failed. Exactly the same story that Erez told Algin. But it did raise more than $300,000. And contacts working in the charity sector have told me that a 20% spent on

advertising is considered average. So even taking that into account, there would have been at least $200,000 left over from Victoria's campaign. When your child is dying, hanging on the edge of life, and someone's out there making money of that. It's blood money. Oleg or Alex Cohen blocked me when I tried to text and call him. He didn't respond to our email, outlining our questions and allegations against him.

So it's just before this podcast comes out and I'm going to have one last call with Olena and Katia, who's our reporter in Ukraine. I want to check in with Olena in Victoria and see how the family is doing. And of course, tell Olena about the response we've received from Angleholm Clinic in which they've said. that they fired Tatiana. Hi, it's so good to see you. How are you? So I have some news to tell you, Olena. We have been in touch with Anglholm to put forward what we found

about the campaigns being filmed at their clinic. And they confirmed that Tatiana is their marketing manager. They also said that they have not given permission for filming to take place on their premises and that they don't treat children with cancer. So in light of our investigation, they have decided to fire Tatiana. Olin is saying she doesn't know whether Tatiana continues to do her scams, but she thinks it's very good that she's been fired because such people cannot work in the medical institutions.

So Tatiana hasn't responded to any of my. direct messages, and she hasn't picked up any of my calls. But if you could say anything to her now, what would it be? I would like to be 100% sure that it happened, that Tatiana was fired. And she would have a chance to meet Tatiana. She would ask, how does she okay to live with all this? Victoria is by her mother's side, as usual. But today she wants to show me her own little companion.

Tell me about your new pet. Kroska. Krojka, which means like a very little rabbit. She can also jump to the sofa, she says. Victoria looked happy on the call, but it's been a very tough month for them. She's been reacting badly to the chemotherapy. She's not been doing well at all. I just really hope everything will be okay.

Now I'm about to cry, because honestly, I don't know what the future holds. The doctors say There is no hope No chance But I still believe I really hope there is For me the only thing that matters Is that she lives

What kind of future she will have Who she will become I don't even care about that All I want is for her to live And be healthy A recent scan has revealed Victoria has yet another tumour. The family's battle continues.

When I was in Colombia, Anna and her father, Sahil, wanted to take me to a very special place for them. It's called Fundeveda, the children's cancer charity that did look. after them in Cartagena. Good. Hello. Hello, my amos. My gorgeous.

How are how Jaya Uyroa hugs them both like family and tells Anna how beautiful she looks.

Naseira founded Fundevida to support families, especially people from rural communities like Sergio. They have looked after thousands of families over the last two decades. And right now, they are helping 380 children.

Nasira remembers when Anna first came to them. Obviously, because of the effects of chemotherapy, she couldn't eat. Smells bother her. She couldn't go down to the dining room with the other kids. She was always in her room, alone. and wanted to be alone, withdrawn, because she was very sad. We threw our arms around her with love and care.

When we sit down, I show Nasira Anna's campaign online. She hadn't seen it before. I need a moment. It hurts me deeply. A little bit. A child is the most sacred thing anyone can have. It's like seeing God. The scene you show me shatters me into a thousand pieces.

It's inconceivable that someone could use that little girl or any child in those conditions to exploit them, to live off of them. It's inconceivable. She's well aware of the negative impact a charity scam like this has on real charities like hers. If scammers present themselves as charities and donors give with love and good intentions only to be scammed,

it impacts all of us. It's very unfortunate. I hope this stops, because it hurts the real charities doing the work. Everything we do is thanks to the donations. Without donations, we wouldn't be able to do anything. That's why I ask people to truly, look into these organizations.

Look at who's really doing the work because we are saving lives. Coming to Funde Vida has reminded me how important charities, legitimate charities are and how they really do help families who otherwise would be helpless. I see Nassira's passion, her goodwill, her selflessness

in the way she genuinely cares about these children. and her staff are dedicated to helping all these families and they're just in direct contrast to the greed, the immorality, the selfishness of the people who are behind all these fake charities. Back at Anna's village, a little celebration is underway. Everyone is gathered in a clearing, and to the side, the open-air school with its cracked floor and broken chairs is doubling as a dressing room.

Anna and her classmates perform a number of traditional dances. Anna and some girls from her school have worn these beautiful, frilled dresses. They're white, yellow, blue and red, like the colours of the Colombian flag. They're holding the hams of their dresses around their wendst as they sway their hips from side to side. And they're going around, taking small steps in a circle. They formed a circle. They are celebrating Anna. She was like a missing piece of the jigsaw of the community.

Now she's back and the picture is complete. She was away from us for a year. One of her teachers is Jorge via Diego. She came back cheerful, laughing, playing, singing. She was no longer that little girl that just sat there. You could see she was active again. She was 100% change. That's exactly what we were hoping for.

A happy ending, because you never know. With cancer, you can't come back. Anna has a second chance at life. And she has her own dreams for the future. She tells me she wants to be a doctor. me she wants to be a doctor when she grows up, to learn how to look after the heart and the lungs and to cure people from fever. In the final performance, Anna's classmates gather around her in the circle.

She sings confidently to her audience. So Anna's on the mic and she's singing a really lovely song. song about love, kind of swaying her hips and singing along. The lyrics go, I will return, my heart is full of love, which is quite pertinent to this story. She looks so sweet. Anna did return, and her father, Sergio, is beaming. I feel proud of her I'm very happy

because I've got her back despite all the hardship she's been through she's over it now I'm going to I'm in your love to love I'm

my love I have to love I have to love I have I'm I'm going to be I'm I'm going to love

I'm love I'm love I can't love 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 the final episode of season 10 of World of Secrets,

the child cancer scam from the BBC World Service. Thank you for listening. Please help us get the word out about the season of World of Secrets. We want as many people as possible to hear about this investigation. And now you finish this one. Why not check out one of our previous seasons? The Child Cancer Scam is presented. and investigated by me, Simi Jala O'sho, with Jack Goodman and Ned Davis.

This season is written and produced by Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson. Rebecca Henshki is the executive producer, and the sound design and mix is by Andy Fell. In the Philippines, our reporters are Tracks the Floor and Rowena Costa. In Colombia, Jose Antonio Lucio and Alan Polido. In Ukraine, Katia Malofieva, Anastasia Couture and Vitalia Cosmenko. In Israel, it's Tom Sue Weiswelder and Shakad Auerbach. In Canada, it's Boschika Gupta and Chiraghth. Voiceover by Jay Baruzzi, Katerina Kinkolova, Jaffa Umarov, Jorge Carabayo,

Maria Clara Montoya and Alfonso Daniels. The Child Cancer Scam is a BBC Uncola. investigation for the BBC World Service. The investigation executive is Milene Larsen Noble and the editor is Mustafa Khalili. The production manager is Rosie Tarleton and the production coordinator is Collette Cunningham. The BBC World Service senior podcast producer is Sarah Green. Many thanks to the BBC World Service commissioning team that is behind World of Secrets. Thank you.