World of Secrets

The investigation into why millions of dollars promised to families with sick children never reaches them moves to Israel. There we find misleading addresses and more questions than answers. Who is making these online campaigns which claim to help desperate parents? New ones keep appearing, but the story’s the same. Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service. Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel

A woman called Isabel pushes a little girl to send videos from her hospital bed. It’s part of a recruitment drive for sick children in Colombia to take part in campaigns. What does she know about the hundreds of thousands of dollars that appear to have been raised? It’s money the family never saw. Who was she working for, and what can she tell us about this scam? Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service. Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel

Seven-year-old Khalil from the Philippines has cancer. His family hope making a campaign video might save him, because they desperately need help to pay for his treatment. But the shoot is demanding, exhausting. Khalil even has onions put in front of his eyes to make him cry. For his mother Aljin, it’s a last-ditch attempt to help her son. But despite following every demand made by a “foreign sponsor”, she’s told the video doesn’t make any money. Season 10 of World of Secrets, The Child Cancer Scam, is a BBC Eye investigation for the BBC World Service. Please note, the image is being used for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.Reporter and Presenter: Simi Jolaoso Additional reporting: Jack Goodman and Ned Davies Writer and Producer: Neil McCarthy and Rob Wilson Sound design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Rebecca Henschke Commissioning Senior Producer: Sarah Green Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel

"Anyone who thinks they can exploit others by using the so-called casting couch system... prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison."Prosecutors in New York send a stern message, as The Abercrombie Guys, Mike Jeffries and Matthew Smith, are arrested on charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution, along with their alleged fixer Jim Jacobson. They've denied wrongdoing.Reporter Rianna and producer Ruth head to New York to watch the court proceedings unfold, just a stone's throw from Mike Jeffries' Hamptons mansion.

The FBI is investigating following allegations made in World of Secrets. The Abercrombie Guys vehemently deny wrongdoing and an old acquaintance comes to their defence, with a different side of the story. "Which one’s true? The audience will have to decide," he says. Meanwhile another man reports what happened when he went on a luxury cruise with Mike Jeffries and Matthew Smith - and says he faced the consequences of saying no to the former Abercrombie boss. #WorldofSecrets

The Abercrombie Guys’ alleged main recruiter is tracked-down to a small town in Wisconsin and asked about his involvement in the operation: “Nobody went into this without their eyes wide open.” One high profile American lawyer examines the team’s evidence and calls for prosecutors to investigate.Have you got a story to tell? Email rianna@bbc.com. Let us know what you think of the season using the hashtag #WorldofSecretsThis podcast refers to sexual abuse and contains interviews that some listeners may find upsetting, as well as some occasional strong language. If you've been affected by any of the issues in this series, please contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.World of Secrets: Season 1 - The Abercrombie Guys is presented and investigated by Rianna Croxford Series Producers: Ruth Evans and Alys Harte Senior Producer: Emma Close Development Producer: Hannah Livingston Investigation Editor: Ed Campbell Podcast Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Executive Editor: Emma Rippon Studio Engineers: Neil Churchill, Andy Fell, Gareth Jones, and Ali Rezakhani Production Coordinators: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill Commissioning Editor: Dylan Haskins Commissioning Executive: Louise Kattenhorn Assistant Commissioner: Natasha Johansson This podcast is made in collaboration with BBC Panorama. If you are in the UK, you can watch Panorama: The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool on BBC iPlayer now, or on BBC Select if you are in the in the US. World of Secrets: Season 1 - The Abercrombie Guys is a BBC Long Form Audio production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.