Madison Russo's GoFundMe Scam Explained Amid $37,000

On Monday, January 23, a 19-year-old woman from Bettendorf, Iowa, named Madison Russo was arrested for reportedly obtaining over $37,000 on GoFundMe after misinforming donors that she had cancer.

Madison Russo reportedly claimed to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia and stage 2 pancreatic cancer, according to WQAD. She also disclosed that a tumor was coiling around her spine.

According to KWQC, Madison Russo’s alleged GoFundMe scandal was revealed because GoFundMe users with medical knowledge identified medical anomalies in the suspect’s social media posts depicting her “illness.” According to the authorities, she got $37,303 from around 439 contributors.

Madison Russo has been charged with theft by deceit as a consequence of the allegations. On Monday, immediately after her arrest, she was released on a $10,000 bail from the Scott County Jail.

How long has it been said that Madison Russo ran the scam?

HITC says that Russo has said for almost a year that he has stage 2 cancer. The first sign of the scam was a Facebook post on the National Pancreas Foundation page in July 2022.

In the post, she told people about her supposed journey with cancer. On October 18, 2022, the North Scott Press newspaper also ran a story about what Russo said he did while he was sick with cancer.

Officer Garret Jahns of the Eldridge Police Department filled out an affidavit that described the scam that Russo was accused of doing. Authorities said that Russo had given several talks at universities and other places to get money for her scam.

GoFundMe also said Russo’s actions were wrong. The statement on the website said:

“GoFundMe has a zero-tolerance policy for misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing.” GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee offers donors a full refund in the rare case when “something isn’t right.”