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World of Secrets
The Child Cancer Scam: 6. The calls
00:33:01
Mothers confront the people who scammed them - they want answers
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Toyota Thon is on. Dealer inventory may vary. Toyota thone ends January 5th. See your participating dealer for details. Toyota let's go places. 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 Hadary 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 Khalil. 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 like a testing two years ago. Have you remember the link that I send you? That there is a money that you have fund? It's $27,000, right? Is what $27,000? Al Jin repeats money she saw online that has been raised for Khalil. Yes, there is cost of advertising. So the company lost money. They advertise and advertise and they didn't receive money back. Okay. Understand? They lost money. I lost money too. The money that I gave you, the money that I spent on production, I lost. Okay. The atmosphere on the call has become heavy. Algen 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 help my mother out. She's getting old 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? If you want me to come. 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'll speak in a few days. Okay, Take care. Bye. Bye. Bye. Algen takes a deep breath and records her thoughts. I know. And they call. 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 to me. This is world of secrets season 10 the child cancer scam. A BBC world service investigation I'm simi jala. 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 Chirag, are parked up in a rental car. So been waiting for a while now and no activity as far as the house is concerned. After Algen'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. We 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 Chirag notices a neighbour 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 asked 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 Erez. 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 chubbier, has like salt and pepper hair and a fairly long beard. The older guy looks like an Orthodox Jew, and the younger guy and the older guy, both of them are wearing same style of clothes. White shirt with black suit and black pants. If Erez 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 number is disconnected. But I'm just going to try and call him as a normal phone call. You have reached the voice mailbox. At the tone, please record your message. And perhaps predictably, Erez Hadary 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 organizations. 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 nonprofit 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. Either was unable to be available. So I'll do my best tomorrow, either morning, I guess, or in the afternoon, which will be your 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 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 Hadary 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 organizations 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. Chants-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 tracks. 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 or nearly a million, is that none of that money goes to the families. This is his own stuff. You've kept it nice and neat and sealed up in the box. Still, when I visited Algin 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 are shoes, but he never use it. She brings out a shiny new pair of black and red trainers still in the box. Yes, he is in the hospital. He want 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? So that I can have a memory with him. I need to keep all. He stinks. She shows me his I love New York hat. He wear this when he has to go to hospital for camo. And in the corner of the room, there's a small shrine dedicated to Khalil. This one is for the memory of Khalil. So we made this one. A cutout 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? Santini. Next to the shrine, the colorful poster pinned to the wall has the words Happy 9th birthday in heaven. Khalil Jadin Tabasa Algin always believed that if the money donated to Khalil's campaign had been passed on to 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 Chernivtsi 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 Oleh 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 Olena the contract. He also offered her a commission if she helped recruit more families to film. 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. Good afternoon. I wanted to clarify some things with you. I'm not happy talking about it, but anyway. Olena tells him she's seen a fundraising campaign for her daughter Victoria 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 Tatiana, 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. We need to Sort it out. No doubt about it. So you don't know who it is? It says Chance Litikva 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 Ole 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. Ok, 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. I feel somehow he's not to blame for all of this. Healthcare can feel complicated. 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How many kids do a classroom homes.com knows these are all things you ask when you're home shopping as a parent. That's why Each listing on Holmes.com includes extensive reports on local schools, including photos, parent reviews, test scores, student teacher ratio, school rankings and more. The information is from multiple trusted sources and curated by Holmes.com's dedicated in house research team. It's all so you can make the right decision for your family. Homes.com, we've done your homework. A day after Olena calls Ole, 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 Tikvah. He tells her what 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, the 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 off that, it's blood money. Ole or Alex Cohen blocked me when I tried to text and call him. He didn't respond to our email outlining our questions and 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 Katya, who's our reporter in Ukraine. I want to check in with Olena and Victoria and see how the family's doing. And of course tell Olena about the response we've received from Angleholm Clinic in which they've said that they fired Tetiana. 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 Engelholm to put forward what we found about the campaigns being filmed at their clinic and they confirmed that Tetiana 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 Tetiana. Olena 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 is 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. 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 tumor. The family's battle continues. When I was in Colombia, Anna and her father said, wanted to take me to a very special place for them. It's called Fundevide, the children's cancer charity that did look after them in Cartagena. The director, Nasira Villadiego Uyoa, hugs them both like family and tells Anna how beautiful she looks. Nasira 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 bothered 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 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 donations. Without the, 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 Fundi Vida has reminded me how important charities, legitimate charities are and how they really do help families who otherwise would be helpless. I see Nasira's passion, her goodwill, her selflessness, and 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 the 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 hems of their dresses around their waist 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 Villadiego. 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% changed. That's exactly what we were hoping for, a happy ending. Because you never know. With cancer, it can 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 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 a circle. She sings confidently to her audience. So Anna's on the mic and she's singing a really lovely 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 Dydvatem 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. If you have any information you would like to share with me about this investigation, you can send an email to simbc.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 Jalaosho with Jack Goodman and Ned Davis. This season is written and Produced by Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson. Rebecca Henchke is the executive prod producer and the sound design and mix is by Andy Fell. In the Philippines, our reporters are Track Saflor and Rowena Costa in Colombia, Jose Antonio Lucio and Alan Pulido in Ukraine, Katya Malofieva, Anastasia Kutcher and Vitalia Kozmenko. In Israel, it's Tom Tsu Weiswalder and Shaked Auerbach. In Canada, it's Boshika Gupta and Chirag Tosh. Voiceover by Jay Baruzzi, Katerina Hinkolova, Jaffa Umarov, Jorge Caraballo, Maria Clara Montoya and Alfonso Daniels. The child cancer scam is a BBCI investigation for the BBC World Service. The investigation executive is Milen Larsen Noble and the editor is Mostafa Khalili. The production manager is Rosie Tarleton and the production coordinator is Colette 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. Hear that? That's my alarm clock. How did I get here? Invested early. Retired early. Now my morning meeting is with the Shore. 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