
We go undercover in Ukraine to try to catch the scammers in action
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Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
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.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
May collect your passports, yes.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
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 Chernivtsi in western Ukraine. Olena Fiselova gives me a warm, welcoming hug. She has striking black and green eyelashes 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 Olena 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. Olene frowns. Her gaze fixes on the screen. There were so many comments from people who donated money wishing them well. Scroll down and we're now looking at a post from August 16, 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? You call on the Pisala and you.
Natalie Jimenez (US Reporter)
Call on the Hoborila.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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 because I didn't want everyone in Ukraine or elsewhere to see my child suffering. I didn't want that. They assured us it wouldn't be publicized.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Olena wipes her eyes, clasping her knees with her hands. She rocks back and forth. She's clearly upset.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
I ask if she herself would like to try and stop it. She immediately nods and says yes.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
It's wrong and it has to stop. At some point, someone has to stop it.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
This is world of secrets season 10 child cancer scam a BBC world service investigation I'm simi. Jala osho episode 4 the contract. It's April 2024. Outside, an air raid siren goes off in the distance. Inside her apartment, Olena 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 Tetiana Haleyevka 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.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
The thing is, we had already been discharged from the hospital and at that particular time Vakutia was not undergoing any medical tests, so there was nothing to film.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
But Tatiana insists they can stage it.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
So a few days later they meet again at a clinic in Chinivtsi called Angelholm. Victoria is put on a hospital bed where she sits awkwardly. Fluorescent lights BUZZ overhead as a cameraman with a goatee called Ole 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.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
After filming, Oleg calls the sponsors. Olena remembers him saying they were in America. He asks whoever is on the line if. If the videos are enough. There's a pause. He hangs up and turns to Olena.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
She says he then handed her US$1,500 in Ukrainian currency and filmed her accepting it. Olena's head is all over the place.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
I signed it, and that's how it all ended.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Olena insists both Tetiana 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.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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 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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Now that she knows the truth, Olena wants to help expose it. She's agreed to try and set up another meeting with Tetiana 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?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Yes, if it is going to help, of course.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
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 close as possible as well, when it comes to her treatment and so on. Let Tatiana do the talking.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Okay? Tatiana. Hello, how are you?
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Yes, Alyonochka, how are you doing?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
We're in trouble. They found another tumor in her head.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Are you serious?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Where are you now?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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 Kyiv and I don't know how much money we will need.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Tell me, how does she look now? You remember that we need a picture.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Her eyes are a bit crossed and she can walk, but with help. She can't walk on her own after the operation.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Does she have hair?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
She has very short hair, like a boy.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
We need her to be without her.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
You need her to be bald.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Take a picture and send it to me.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Her hair looks like it's been trimmed.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
Take a picture and send it to me. I will ask Oleg. This is such bad news. It's such a pity. Alyon, what can you do?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Yes, it is ok. So will you be able to help us or is it not guaranteed?
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
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.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Okay, thank you. I will send it.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
How are you feeling after that call?
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
Now I feel better, calmer, because I understand the situation. It's unpleasant, but it's okay.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Then, as instructed, Olena sends Tetiana a photo of Victoria with a head bandage and then waits. A few hours later, Tetiana calls back. She wants to meet.
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Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
The Night before, Olena is set to meet Tatiana again and secretly recorded, the city experiences what it's been dreading. Ukraine says Russian forces attacked with 26 long range missiles and nearly 600 drones overnight killing four people in the western city of Chernobyl. Chernivtsi is dragged into the war for the first time. Olena and Viktoria are forced to take shelter.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
We spread our blankets in the hallway where there are no windows and lay there. Of course, we could not really sleep, but we laid down, we prayed, we talked. It was scary.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
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, Katya Malofreva, 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.
Katya Malofreva (Undercover Reporter)
I'm with Olena in the hospital and we are waiting for Tatiana to come. She should come within the next 20, maybe 30 minutes. The time X I'm a little bit nervous. I didn't sleep until 5, 5:30am in the morning because I was anxious. Alena seems 2.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
We'll do our best.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Finally, Tatiana arrives. She's wearing a T shirt and her reddish blonde ponytail is sticking out of her baseball cap. She's eyeing Katya suspiciously.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
The news is not good because one child can't receive support twice.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
They can't help, she says, because Olena and Viktoria were given some money before. The money on the day of the filming. On top of that, she says Olena hasn't sent enough new photos.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
And without this there is nothing to talk about. They want it to be clear that the child has cancer.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
So it's necessary to prove the child is ill? Katya asks.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
It's not about proving it. It just needs to be visible. As I said, the child should be bold.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Then Katya asks her what the name of the charity she's working for is.
Tatiana Haleyevka (Foundation Worker)
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Then Tatiana says she has to go and wishes Olena good luck. Katya and Olena head to a nearby park to breathe and debrief.
Katya Malofreva (Undercover Reporter)
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 Olen about her feelings.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
So we need to call Oleg, the cameraman, who Tetiana 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, Katya calls him. He repeats what Tetiana said, that they can't do another video with Victoria. But then Oleg says there is a way they might be able to give Olena more money.
Podcast Host
I just wanted to say that the number of families we help really matters to the organization. So, for example, if through Olena, we can reach someone else, if she could recommend maybe two or three families that need help, then we could also support Olena in return.
Katya Malofreva (Undercover Reporter)
Understand getting the commissions?
Podcast Host
Put very bluntly, yes.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
So the offer is to turn Olena into one of their recruiters. Katya 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 says to new families.
Podcast Host
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Katya asks him how much money the family can expect to receive. He assures her a payment of US$1,000 on the day of filming is certain. But he says if the campaign is successful, there will be more money.
Podcast Host
If the parents agreed to make a video, then we would be talking about 8 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 given to the families.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
But this definitely hasn't been the case with the families I've spoken to. Victoria's campaign online says it made US$335,000, Khalil's 27,000, and Anna's $250,000. But from that, the amount the family received was zero onees 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 Sergio, 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.
Contract Narrator/Voiceover
May determine the fundraising methods, select the fundraising platform, produce videos for donors, and invest in promoting the campaign via social media.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Olena says Tetiana approached her, asking her to do the video and offering money. But the contract again says something very different.
Contract Narrator/Voiceover
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
In the family fee section at the bottom, it says There'll be a one time payment of US$1,500 upon signing the contract, which Helena says she did receive. But then it says there's going to be more money.
Contract Narrator/Voiceover
A further payment of US$8,000 will be made upon reaching the fundraising threshold.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
On Olena'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.
Contract Narrator/Voiceover
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.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
So if they don't tell the organization that anyone else is offering to help them, then they have breached the agreement. Olena 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 Katya asks him about the charities or organizations he's working for.
Podcast Host
Those organizations are in the U.S. 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, let's put it that way.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Little angels, St. Teresa. These are new names, but when we look them up on a register of nonprofits in The US we find a familiar name, Erez Hadari. Olena says she wants to call Ole 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 Olena'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 asked my colleague in the U.S. natalie Jimenez, to have a look.
Natalie Jimenez (US Reporter)
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 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 home. So I'm gonna 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.
Olena Fiselova (Mother)
If you know your party's extensive.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
Since nobody came to the door in Brooklyn, I tried the US Numbers for Chancellor Tikvah.
Natalie Jimenez (US Reporter)
Please leave a message at the tone.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
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. Chancellor Tikva, a charity. You've not heard of it. So we basically just had to leave the chance to take for a dress.
Katya Malofreva (Undercover Reporter)
There was a lot of people grouping around us and it became kind of scary.
Simi Jalaosho (Investigator/Reporter)
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 simibc.co.uk this has been episode 4 of 6 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 Jalaosho with Jack Goodman and Ned Davis. In Ukraine, our reporter is Katya malofriva. In the US it's Natalie Jimenez. 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 Katerina Hinkolova, Irina Taranyuk, Jafa Imerov and Danielle Kaye. It's a BBC I production for the BBC World. Limu Emu and Doug. Here we have the Limu emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us.
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Podcast Host
Liberty, Liberty, Liberty Savings.
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Olena Fiselova (Mother)
It.
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: BBC | Reporter: Simi Jalaosho
In this gripping installment of "World of Secrets," the BBC investigates the deeply troubling networks scamming desperate families of children with cancer by manipulating their plight for online fundraising campaigns. This fourth episode, titled "The Contract," zeroes in on the story of Olena Fiselova and her five-year-old daughter Victoria in Ukraine. It details how their hardship was exploited, laying bare the mechanics of the scam—from staged hospital videos to misleading contracts and the shadowy organizations in the US and Israel that benefit.
"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 because I didn't want everyone in Ukraine or elsewhere to see my child suffering. I didn't want that. They assured us it wouldn't be publicized."
"It was very uncomfortable, really unpleasant. Uncomfortable for us and for the child. […] But at that moment, I understood that it was necessary. It's what they wanted." (Olena, 07:10)
"When my daughter was crying, when she was, I can say, forced to cry, and 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." (Olena, 09:04)
[20:19] Katya follows up with Oleg/Alex Cohen, the cameraman. He explains the process and offers to pay Olena again if she refers new families:
[21:42] For new families, the most vital requirement is "the photo. The one where the child has no hair."
Reality: Of the hundreds of thousands raised online, families consistently received only small upfront amounts, or nothing at all after the initial payment.
[23:22] Simi reads the fine print from Olena's signed contract:
[24:55] Strict exclusivity clauses penalize families for independent fundraising: “It shall be considered a material breach of this agreement.”
Olena’s realization and pain:
“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.” (Olena, 04:29)
On forced tears:
“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.” (Olena, 07:10)
On the scam’s perversion:
“It's really scary. I don't know how these people live with God. It's not just business. It's a big sin.” (Olena, 09:04)
Recruitment for the scam:
“Put very bluntly, yes.” (Podcast Host/Oleg, on family commissions, 21:19)
On the visibility of illness:
“It's not about proving it. It just needs to be visible. As I said, the child should be bald.” (Tatiana, 18:32)
The podcast maintains a sensitive, investigative, and unflinching tone. Simi Jalaosho and her co-reporters balance empathy for victims with dogged pursuit of the facts:
"The Contract" exposes the machinery of an international child cancer fundraising scam, blending undercover reporting, victim testimony, and legal forensics. It shows how hope and trauma are leveraged through staged videos and misleading contracts, for the profit of shadowy organizations. The episode closes on the hunt for further truths behind Chancellor Tikva and affiliated nonprofits, promising further revelations in the next installment.