The Child Cancer Scam: 3. The recruiters

Summary

World of Secrets (BBC)

Season 10, Episode 3: The Child Cancer Scam—The Recruiters

Release Date: December 22, 2025
Host/Reporter: Simi Jalaosho

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Episode Overview

In this deeply investigative episode, the BBC unpacks the heartbreaking mechanics behind the child cancer crowdfunding scam, specifically focusing on how vulnerable families are "recruited" to front fraudulent fundraising campaigns. Reporter Simi Jalaosho travels to Colombia to meet with Anna and her family, victims of the scam, uncovering how recruiters and international figures manipulated desperate circumstances for financial gain. The story exposes the coercive tactics used to obtain emotionally charged videos and follows the investigators as they navigate a complex web of charity registrations and shadowy intermediaries.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Anna's Ordeal & Isabel's Role

• Initial Approach: Anna, a 7-year-old undergoing brain tumor treatment, and her father Sergio are contacted by Isabel Hernandez, who promises financial help but insists on specific types of photos and videos for a supposed international foundation (01:45–04:58).
  • Isabel’s Persistent Demands: “I need clear photos with the girl in them. … Get in front of the bed and take proper photos.” (Isabel, 02:46)
  • Targeting the Child Directly: When Sergio struggles to keep up, Isabel starts messaging Anna herself, pushing for more images and videos even as Anna is exhausted and undergoing chemo (03:09).
• Broken Promises: Despite Anna’s compliance, Isabel repeatedly claims the process is slow because not enough material has been sent. After months with no results, Anna protests, telling Isabel she can’t send more photographs (04:12–05:14).
• The Scam Revealed: In 2025, upon Anna’s inquiry about the supposed money, Isabel finally admits the foundation “disappeared,” and “nothing was done with [the video]” (05:44). This is a lie—Simi verifies the video was uploaded, raising $250,000 (06:04).

2. Life and Family in Colombia

• Homecoming: Simi visits Anna’s family and describes their return to their indigenous community in rural Colombia after treatment, providing rich detail on their modest lifestyle and deep generational roots in traditional medicine (06:04–11:24).
• Economic Hardship: Sergio, Anna’s single parent, was forced to sell all his cattle and even sleep rough while Anna received treatment. The family relies on mutual support and traditional knowledge, underlining their vulnerability (12:50–13:14).

3. The Recruiters’ Modus Operandi

• Recruitment Tactics: Isabel appears with a man identified by Sergio as “Erik”—later revealed as Israeli national Erez Hadary—who claims he can get them money by filming a video for international aid (14:38).
• Scripted Suffering: Anna is made to recite lines describing her dire situation, is forced to cry on camera, and is even given eye drops to simulate tears. Sergio is handed a contract he can't read or keep, and receives a one-off payment of about $260 (16:23–17:13).
  • Emotional Impact: “They made her cry and tell her sad story.” (Sergio, 16:23); “It made me cry having to do it.” (Sergio, 17:06)
• After the Campaign: The family is unaware their video is being used to raise substantial sums. They remain destitute and demoralized on discovering the truth (17:47).
  • Quote: “They used Ana to raise funds for their own benefit, not for her.” (Vidal, 17:47)

4. A Confrontation with Isabel—and Her Defense

• Isabel Interviewed: After persistent follow-up (22:35–27:50), Isabel reluctantly admits she was unemployed and lured by the promise of a salary to “find children with cancer.” She claims she did not know the true intent of the campaign organizers or what would happen with the videos, nor did she see any funds herself (23:25–24:33).
• Denial and Backtracking: Isabel alternately denies and tries to minimize her repeated requests to Anna for more content, until played tapes of her exact words (25:00–25:37).
• Reactions to the Truth:
  • Upon being shown Anna's crowdfunding page: “I cannot believe it.” (Isabel, 26:45)
  • Expressing remorse: “Terrible.” (Isabel, 27:00); “A lot of pain. I helped those children because they were also victims. Sick children.” (Isabel, 27:10)
  • “If I had known they were going to do this, to play with the lives of sick children, I would never have got involved. … I have got my own daughters. … But believe me, I'm not [to blame].” (Isabel, 27:21)

5. Tracing the Money and Organization Structures

• Follow the Money: Anna’s family receives a message from another Israeli number offering to connect them with a lawyer, promising to pursue the $250,000 supposedly raised for them (28:17–28:50). Nothing materializes.
• Interview with an Anonymous Israeli “Translator”: The anonymous intermediary describes being hired for Spanish translation, initially believing in the cause, but realizing only a fraction reached families:
  • “They’ll tell me 50% from this money goes to Facebook, goes to advertising. Then they said maybe even more. And then they say that the other 50% would go to the families or other kids.” (Translator, 31:00)
• Networks of 'Charities': The translator confirms the names “Walls of Hope” and “Chancellor Tikva,” notes “religious guys, rabbis” are involved, and that the organizers operate similar scams elsewhere, including Ukraine (32:04–33:19).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Description | |-----------|------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:46 | Isabel Hernandez | “I need clear photos with the girl in them. ... Get in front of the bed and take proper photos.” | | 16:23 | Sergio Carre | “They made her cry and tell her sad story.” | | 17:47 | Vidal | “They used Ana to raise funds for their own benefit, not for her.” | | 18:16 | Sergio Carre | “I felt cheated and taken advantage of. But anyway, now I'm happy because the little girl got better...”| | 24:10 | Isabel Hernandez | “I did (have suspicions). But they offered me a good salary to get the children…” | | 26:45 | Isabel Hernandez | “I cannot believe it.” (Reacting to evidence of $800,000 raised online) | | 27:00 | Isabel Hernandez | “Terrible.” | | 27:21 | Isabel Hernandez | “If I had known they were going to do this, to play with the lives of sick children, I would never…” | | 31:00 | Anonymous Translator | “They'll tell me 50% from this money goes to Facebook... then they say that the other 50% would go to the families or other kids.” |

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:45 – Isabel begins messaging Sergio and Anna; repeated requests for photos and videos.
• 05:44 – Isabel falsely claims "nothing was done" with Anna’s video; campaign actually raised $250,000.
• 06:04–12:00 – Simi visits Anna's family in Colombia; background and context on their life.
• 13:14–17:13 – Recap of the recruitment encounter, coercion into making the video, and the ensuing scam.
• 22:35–27:50 – Simi confronts Isabel Hernandez; Isabel’s denials, explanations, and expressions of regret.
• 28:17–29:39 – Israeli intermediary contacts the family, offering legal help unsuccessfully.
• 29:39–33:19 – Simi interviews another (anonymous) Israeli “translator,” who reveals more about the inner workings and international nature of the scam.

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Episode Tone and Style

The reporting is compassionate and immersive, with Simi’s narration emphasizing empathy for the families, pulling back the curtain on the recruiters’ emotional coercion and manipulation, and sharply criticizing the exploitation of both children and local intermediaries. There’s an undercurrent of anger and heartbreak at the families’ fates, matched by a relentless drive to uncover those responsible.

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Flow & Takeaways for Listeners

This episode is a step-by-step exposure of how recruiters fuel an international scamming machine built around the suffering of children with cancer. Through personal stories, evidence, and careful cross-examination, the investigation reveals the scope and cruelty of the scam—how family tragedy becomes bait, trust is weaponized, and hope is ruthlessly commodified. By the end, listeners are left with a clearer understanding of not just how the scam operates, but also how difficult it is for its victims to seek justice or restitution. The episode concludes by hinting at broader global links—as the schemes move on like a conveyor belt, always seeking new victims.

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Next Episode Preview:
The investigation turns its sights to Ukraine, where the scam’s familiar tactics and organizers are already at work.

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For More:
Visit BBC World of Secrets podcast page for previous seasons and episodes.

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Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

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[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

It's October 2023 and Sergio Carre is in a Colombian hospital with his sick daughter. A woman called Isabel Hernandez is sending him voice messages. Lots of them.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Good morning Mr. Sergio. How are you? God bless you. I have always told you this is a process to make things happen. But you also need to do your part. I have asked for photos and videos and you have sent nothing. It seems like you are not interested.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Sergio is interested. He needs help. Financial help, which is what Isabel is promising. But he has a lot on his mind. His seven year old girl, Anna is receiving treatment for a brain tumor. He sends Isabel photos of her in hospital, but she wants more.

[Isabel Hernandez]

I need clear photos with the girl in Them. They need to be good shots. Get in front of the bed and take proper photos.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

He's not very good with his phone. Usually Ana looks after it. So when Sergio doesn't reply, Isabel starts messaging Ana directly. Hola, Ana Gomestas.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Anita. Anita, tell your dad to send me more photos of you. All the photos you have from the clinic or foundation. Send them to me, please. Without the hat on. Ok, my love.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Anna sends a voice note back. She tells Isabel she'll be in the hospital tomorrow for chemo and she'll send her the photos. Then she's going home.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Oh, Anita, thank God. Your process is almost over. Thanks to our Heavenly Father, you will be back with your family, your little brother and everyone who loves you. But don't forget to send the photos. That's why this process has been so slow. You haven't sent them photos and videos are necessary to get help.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

By Christmas 2023, Anna is exhausted from the cancer treatment. But she's also tired of Isabelle's demands. Anna says she isn't going to send any more photos because Isabelle hasn't done anything with the ones she's already sent.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Don't say that, my love. Of course I have done plenty. I send them to the man at the foundation. Things have happened. Don't worry. Send me more. Don't be like that.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Anna repeats herself. She doesn't have anything else to send her. And she can't even fit any more photos on her phone.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

And.

[Isabel Hernandez]

This is very bad, Anna. Very bad indeed.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

But then Isabel stops messaging them. Months pass, then a year. And in January 2025, Anna sends this message to Isabel. She wants to know what happened to the money she thought Isabel was going to give them.

[Isabel Hernandez]

No, little one. That foundation disappeared. Things didn't work out. So I no longer have any contact with them. That's why I never called you again or followed up with that. Because it disappeared a long time ago. Your video was never uploaded. Never. Nothing was done with it, you hear?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

But that video was uploaded. And the campaign page says it's raised a quarter of a million dollars. This is world of secrets season 10 the child cancer scam a BBC world service investigation hi, I'm simi. Jela osho episode 3 the recruiters. I'm bumping along in a pickup truck on a dirt road in northwest Colombia. I've entered a protected area for the Zenu indigenous community. Forest engulfs this area. Plenty of banana, papaya and mango trees line up the paths, while crops like maize cling to the hillsides. After more than a Day of travel, we pull up to Anna's family compound of whitewashed houses nestled between green hills. Lunch is cooking on an open fire and wisps of smoke hover over a thatched roof. A man with a big warm smile greets me with a hug. He's wearing a wide woven hat made of arrow grass. His name is Vedal. He's the head of Anna's family.

[Vidal (Head of Anna's family)]

We are happy and proud to have you here with us. We don't know where you come from, but we welcome you to the Kare community. Difficult to reach but impossible to forget.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

I can see it and I do feel that way already. He then introduces me to his whole family. His wife, daughters, nephews. And to Anna's father, Sergio, a slim man in his 40s with short cropped hair. Then finally to Anna. She gets up from the small handmade chair she's been rocking on. She also gives me a big hug. She looks so different from the girl I saw in that video. She looks happy and her hair has grown back. It now falls around her shoulders. Buenos dias. Thank you for having me.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Yeah.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Will you show me around? Sergio leads us to where he and Anna live. There's a lot of greenery around us, shrubs, trees. As Sergio takes us to his home, which is made out of bamboo and it has a straw roof. And the first thing I see is a tiny, tiny puppy drinking milk. Right in the middle is a hammock, a very colourful hammock. This is your home.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

See?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

So Anna's showing me her little puppy and she's just told me that he's one month old. Anna and her puppy, Chocolate are inseparable. And Anna and her father are glad to be back home.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

We had to start over because I was in Cartagena for a year during Ana's treatment. It was very hard. Ana doesn't have a mother, so I am mom and dad at the same time. Anna can tell you about the treatment. How did you feel, Anna?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Ana tells me she didn't want to eat and felt really bad and. But thanks to God, she's well again. I saw the video of you and Anna all the way in London, So I'm really, really happy that I've been able to make it all the way here to meet you in person and to find out exactly what happens. Anna's family live in a compound which they share with dogs, cats, turkeys, parrots, pigs and various other animals. They've lived here for generations.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

I was born right here. Our great grandmother was a traditional doctor. Then our grandfather, Jose Maria Carre was also using traditional medicine, as was her father. And then Vidal. My brother inherited the tradition, working with herbs and plants. And since I also understood plants, I learned how to treat snake bites.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Vidal shows me his medicinal herb garden, growing wild on the hillside next to the house. He's been passing on this ancestral tradition to Anna, who follows closely behind us.

[Vidal (Head of Anna's family)]

Here, where we are, there are all the plants we need. We use traditional healing plants, such as roots, bark, leaves and flowers. They are all necessary for the well being of our people, family and friends. Everyone, This is anamu, which we use to cure bad colds. And it is also used for cancer. When cancer is just starting, it is controlled with anamu and its roots.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Vidal prepared this drink for Anna when she fell sick, but she just kept getting weaker.

[Vidal (Head of Anna's family)]

After two months of herbal remedies, I felt something was really wrong. I said to her, dad, take her to the health center.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Anna was transferred to a hospital in Sinsilejo, the nearest city. But when they found a tumor on her brain, she had to move to a cancer ward in the larger city of Cartagena, four hours away.

[Vidal (Head of Anna's family)]

They confirmed it was a malignant tumor. She had surgery, and then her treatment began. It was a massive shock and incredibly hard for us as a family, especially because she's normally such a happy child. It was devastating.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

She was in hospital for months at a time. Her treatment was covered by the public health system. But Sergio had to sell all his cattle to pay for everything else. For a month, he had nowhere to stay in the city and had to sleep rough in a park. He came to rely on Vidal sending him money.

[Vidal (Head of Anna's family)]

So one day in August, I told him, honestly, I don't have any more money to send you. And he said, don't worry about it. Someone from Israel came to help me. He said he works with an international NGO and promised to access some resources for us.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Serhiy was running around getting medication sorted for Anna when his phone started ringing. He was too busy to answer, but they kept calling. When he finally picked up, he says the woman on the other end told him she was a friend of a senior nurse in the cancer ward.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

Isabel told me she wanted to sponsor the little girl's treatment, like a godmother. But I didn't know her at all, so I just said, no, thanks, it's already paid for. I don't need that. Then, out of the blue, she showed up looking for me, this time with a man. The man was from Israel. They knew I was out of work, so the Israeli guy said he would help Me financially.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

He says this man from Israel had an offer for him.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

He said, we'll make a video so you will have some money when you go back home. He asked me if I worked, and I said no. He asked what our people are known for, and I said handicrafts. So he said that afterwards he would have a project for me where I could do woodwork or work with pigs and earn some money once his treatment was over. This wasn't so strange because indigenous communities here get help from NGOs in Canada, which is where he said he lived. He gave me hope. I needed help because I didn't have any money put away for the future. Isabel basically said that if this project worked out, I would get money, and she assured me it would work out.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Just going back to the Israeli man, what was his name? What did he introduce himself as to you?

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

I knew him as Erik. He was a short, fat man with a beard. He wore a cap and he spoke Spanish. He was helping Isabel.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

May I show you a photo and you can let me know if you recognize this person. I show Sergio a photo lineup of four people, and without hesitation, he points at the image of Erez Hadari.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

I don't have any photo of him, but just now seeing him, I remember him straight away.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Erez Hadary again, this time in South America, recruiting families through local people and seemingly making promises of work and money. Sergio says on the day of filming, Isabel sent a car to pick up him and Anna.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

They took us to a church and then to another house to film. There were two people asking Anna to say she was ill and that she was alone and needed help. They made her cry and tell her sad story.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Anna says they put eye drops on her to make her cry, and it made her feel bad.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

They sent me a script which I didn't understand. So instead I told them about what I had been through, the whole difficult process and that I had suffered a lot.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

How did you feel that day? How did you feel about making the video with them?

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

I felt sad. It made me cry having to do it.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Sahil says just before the filming started, he was given a contract to sign. But he didn't understand it because he can't read and he wasn't given a copy. He says he was given a million Colombian pesos, or US$260. Sergio and Vidal say they didn't know the campaign video was on online until we showed them.

[Vidal (Head of Anna's family)]

We all lost hope. The whole family became disheartened. They used Ana to raise funds for their own benefit. Not for her. You feel discouraged, your morale sinks, you feel frustrated, disheartened, angry, helpless.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

But despite everything, Sergio wants to put it all behind him.

[Sergio Carre (Anna's Father)]

I felt cheated and taken advantage of. But anyway, now I'm happy because the little girl got better and she's come home to the family. I had to leave it in the hands of God.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

It's late afternoon and the weather's cooled down. I can see three pigs just munching away at the vegetation. Anna's sister has just fetched some water from the drum and she's taken it to the kitchen. Behind her are a few ducks and ducklings following. The rest of her family are just casually chilling on the porch, chatting away. It's just a lovely evening as the family winds down from the day. I can hear music being played off a phone at the back, and everyone's just trying to unwind and relax as the evening comes. And when I look above me, I can see a group of vultures just circling with their wings widespread, and they seem nearly as high as the clouds. And it just makes me think about this family living a very humble life in this remote area and how they too are sort of being preyed upon by these people. Isabel searched for Sergio, made promises of help. She hounded Anna for videos and photos when she was sick, and then, when asked, just told Anna that the campaign had failed.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Your video was never uploaded.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Never.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Nothing was done with it, you hear.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

After weeks of back and forth between the two of us, Isabel has finally agreed to speak to me.

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[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Isabel Hernandez arrives at the Agreed location in Cartagena to meet my colleague Jose. I'm in a video link from London. She's dressed in a yellow blouse with her hair pulled back under a white headband. She toys with her phone while she takes her seat. She seems quite tense and reluctant to talk. We explained that this is her opportunity to share her side of the story. Isabel says she was unemployed in August 2023 when a family friend from Israel introduced her to someone who was offering six months work to help a foundation.

[Isabel Hernandez]

The information they gave me was that they were a foundation and that they were looking for children with cancer to offer them some help. So I went to each family and spoke to them. I told them what the man told me. There were some families that accepted, others didn't. When I had like two or three families that agreed, the man came here to Colombia and I was basically his guide.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

She won't say who that man was and will only continue the interview if we agree not to ask for information about him or the foundation he was working for. She says she's scared to speak out. Didn't you ever get a feeling that something wasn't right?

[Isabel Hernandez]

I Did. But they offered me a good salary to get the children and told me if those videos did well, they would pay me for six months. But that never happened. They told me that the videos didn't do well. I didn't have access to any of that. I didn't even see the videos. They also said that when the war started there in Israel, they closed the charity. I don't know how true.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

That was just like Roy in the Philippines. Isabel said she was only following their instructions, but we know from the voice notes that she was very persistent with Anna. Why did you ask a young child again and again and again for photos and videos of herself instead of going through her parents or asking her guardians? No, no.

[Isabel Hernandez]

No. Never. I never told a child to send me photos or send me videos. No, not me.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Look, Isabel, I have evidence that you have done this, and I'm just trying to understand why. I. Play the voice notes Isabel sent after Ana asked what she had done with the photos she'd already given her. Does she remember that voice note?

[Isabel Hernandez]

The voice sounds weird.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

It's definitely Isabelle speaking. Why would you keep pushing for photos? Keep pushing a child? By the way.

[Isabel Hernandez]

I asked for the photos before. They told me that the video hadn't been uploaded to social media. Once they told me they couldn't upload the video, nothing was done. I never asked for anything else or called her. I felt really bad because I knew that Mr. Sergio was a humble person who is really struggling financially. The man really needs help.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

But earlier she said the foundation told her the videos were uploaded, but they didn't do well. She keeps claiming she never saw the online campaigns. So I pull out my laptop and show her two campaigns of the children she recruited. Anna's and then a little. Boys. I am just going to bring up and show you a campaign for the kid that you asked about.

[Isabel Hernandez]

I cannot believe it.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

So you can see, in this campaign, they've raised over $800,000. How does that make you feel? Fatal.

[Isabel Hernandez]

Terrible.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

What's going through your mind right now?

[Isabel Hernandez]

A lot of pain. I helped those children because they were also victims. Sick children.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Did you realize what they might do.

[Isabel Hernandez]

If I had known they were going to do this, to play with the lives of sick children, I would never have got involved. I couldn't. I'm a mother. I have got my own daughters. And I understand the frustration of the parents. And they must think I'm to blame. But believe me, I'm not.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Now that you've heard these, is there anything that you would say to Ana and Her father, Sergio. Now.

[Isabel Hernandez]

I want to apologize for what happened, and I really want them to understand that I didn't know things would end up like this.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Before I left Anna and her family, Sergio showed me something interesting on his phone. It was a text message from an Israeli number.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Dear Senor Serhio, I'm a friend of Isabel. I understand that the association didn't pay you the money it raised for Anna. Today I spoke with a lawyer in Israel about the matter. The association raised $250,000 for Anna. What the association did to you is very serious, and there's a good chance they'll have to pay you all the money. I want to start the process with the lawyer. I also spoke with him about your financial situation, and we will cover all the legal costs. It's important that we get justice. Please contact me.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Serhiyo replied, but it didn't lead to anything, so I'm going to try. So far, the name that keeps coming up is Erez Hadary. He's the one that registered wars of Hope in Canada. But wars of Hope and Chancellor Tikva are also registered in Israel. Erez's name isn't on those registration documents. There are lots of other names. Will this guy from Israel who contacted Sergio be able to tell me more? How does he know that they didn't give the families the money? It's gone through.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Hello?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Hi, can you hear me?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Who is it?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Hi, my name is Simi. I'm a journalist and I'm calling from the BBC. How are you doing?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

How I can help you?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

I've been looking into a couple of charities over the last year. Charities that claim to help families with children with cancer. And I spoken to a couple of people in Colombia and they said that you got in touch with them and you offered to help them. Do you know what I'm talking about?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Yeah, but I just translated. Okay. I work and I help because I speak Spanish. I try to help the families after I heard about what happened to them.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

The man only agreed for us to use this conversation if we didn't reveal his identity. So he's voiced by an actor.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

One time I speak with this lawyer in Israel to try and help this family, and I try to connect the lawyer with the family to help them because they are from Colombia and this organization is in Israel or in other places. This lawyer tried to help, but we didn't have more communication with the father. That's it. I don't have more information. I cannot help.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

It feels like he knows more, but he claims not to have the names or contacts for the people he worked for.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

After this, they asked me to work with them more. You know, help them, because I speak Spanish. So I help what I can because I think everything is good. I see them send money for families, you know, I see them pay money to the families in the beginning, but after this one time I asked them, I see them take a lot of money in the campaign, and they'll tell me 50% from this money goes to Facebook, goes to advertising. Then they said maybe even more. And then they say that the other 50% would go to the families or other kids.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

It's hard to get out of him what exactly he was doing for the foundation, beyond translation. But he seems to have knowledge about how the associations work. I ask him if he knows an Erez Hadary.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Yes, I heard about one person who worked with him.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Okay. Did you ever meet him?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

No, no, no.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Do you know anything about Erez, where he's based?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

No, I don't have any information about that.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Do you remember the name of the foundation?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

No.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

If I mentioned some names to you, will you let me know if you remember?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Yeah, we can try.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Have you heard of a charity called Walls of Hope?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Yeah. Yes. But not only did I hear this name, they also have other names.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Have you heard of Chancellor Tikva Chance?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Maybe it's the same, I don't know.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Do you think the charities are being run from Israel?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Look, I see the charities in the campaigns have addresses in the U.S. the foundation takes the money in the U.S. but with the campaigns for kids, the people in charge of this are religious guys, rabbis, you know, some rabbis. There's this guy, Menachem, okay. With their campaign. What I remember is that I heard about the guy with the same name. Menachem is in Britain. I don't know if he lives or works there.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

Religious guys, rabbis. And a man in Britain called Menachem. I ask him for more details, but he says he doesn't know.

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

I don't remember. I don't know the last name. Okay. But he's a religious guy. Yeah. And I hear this guy does the same with kids and families in a.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

With kids where? Oh, do you mean Ukraine?

[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Ukrainian kids? Yeah. Like, they do the same, you know?

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

He is saying the organizers of the campaigns are active in Ukraine. We're soon about to discover. He's right.

[Narrator/Host]

Those organizations, there are several of them, and each time it's a different one. They work kind of like a conveyor belt. There is always a demand, let's put it that way.

[Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)]

That's next time on World of Secrets. This has been episode 3 of 6 of season 10 of World of Secrets, the child cancer scam from the BBC World Service. Please do spread the word about World of Secrets. We've got this and nine previous seasons for you to delve into. The child cancer scam is presented and investigated by me, Simi Jalaosho with Jack Goodman and Ned Davis in Colombia. Our reporters are Jose Antonio Lucio and Alan Pulido. It's written and Produced by Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson. Rebecca Henschke is the executive producer and the sound design and mix is by Andy Fell. Voiceover by Margarita Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Perez, Jorge Caraballo, Noam Auerbach and Jaffa Umarov. It's a BBC Eye production for the BBC World.

[Narrator/Host]

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[Anonymous Man/Translator]

Com.