The Child Cancer Scam: Trailer

World of Secrets

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.7 • 765 Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2025

⏱️ 4 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Your child is critically ill with cancer. It’s the worst news you can get. But to make the situation even more awful, you struggle to afford the care they need. So, when someone tells you a foreign sponsor can help raise the money, you’ll do anything.

You make a video: your child begs for help from strangers online. But it comes to nothing. You wait and wait for the cash from the donations. It never comes, and all the while your child is fighting for their life.

In this World of Secrets podcast from the BBC World Service, BBC Eye uncovers the shocking truth.

Released from 15th December.

Please note, the show image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the person depicted in it is a model.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.
0:10.8	It's the sort of news, every parent dreads.
0:16.0	We were lost. We didn't know what we were going to do.
0:20.0	Our whole world crashed.
0:22.4	Your child is diagnosed with cancer.
0:26.5	At that moment, I thought that was it. The end. A death sentence.
0:33.4	It also triggers a financial crisis.
0:36.8	We were faced with a very large bill.
0:39.2	I really needed money for Khalil's treatment.
0:42.9	But then, there's a ray of hope.
0:46.0	Listen, Jin, this opportunity comes only once, so let's make the most of it.
0:51.9	An international charity can help raise money.
0:55.0	He just told us that the sponsor wasn't from around here and that all we would have to do is make a video to earn the money.
1:02.0	Hello, my name is Caril. I am seven years old and I have cancer. I'm in a hospital and it hurt me a lot.
1:17.6	I want...
1:18.6	They know exactly what they want.
1:22.6	They rubbed menthol ointment on his face
1:25.6	and put onions in front of his eyes so that he would fake cry.
1:29.9	But when the filming is over, the money never comes.
1:34.7	He told us it wasn't successful.
1:37.3	So, as I understood it, the video just didn't make any money.
1:41.6	I know it. just didn't make any money. What these families
	...

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