Warning: Disturbing content

Di little boy face camera. Im dey pale and no get hair.

"I dey seven years old and I get cancer, please save my life and help me" na wetin im tok.

Khalil wey im picture dey above bin no wan record dis film, na so im mama Aljin tok.

Dem tell her to shave im head, den film crew hook fake drip and ask im family to pretend like say na im birthday. Dem give am English script to learn and recite.

Aljin say im bin no like am wen dem put onions wey dem cut near am wit mentol to make am cry.

Aljin agree to am sake of say though di set up na fake, but Khalil really get cancer. Dem tell am say di video go help raise money through crowdfunding to give am better treatment. E help dem raise 27,000 dollars (£20,204), according to one campaign wey get Khalil name.

But Aljin say dem tell am say di campaign fail and she no receive shishi from di money. Say di only money she receive na filming fee of 700 dollars dem give am on di day dem do di recording. One year later Khalil die.

Across di world, dem dey exploit desperate parents of sick or dying children through online scam campaigns, na so BBC World Service discover.

Pipo dey contribute money to campaigns wey dey claim say dem dey raise funds for life-saving treatments. We identify 15 families wey say dem get little or nothing from di funds wey pipo raise. Sometimes, dem no dey even know say dem don publish di campaigns even though dem pass through stressful filming.

Nine families wey we tok to wey dia campaign appear for di same scam network say dem no receive anytin at all from di 4million dollars (£2.9m) wey pipo raise in dia name.

One whistleblower from di network tell us say dem look out for beautiful children wey dey age three to nine wey no get hair.

We don identify key player for di scam wey be Israeli man wey dey stay for Canada, dem dey call am Erez Hadari.

Our investigation begin for October 2023 wen one distressing YouTube video advert catch our attention. E show one Ghana girl dem dey call Alexandra. She say for di video "I no wan die, my treatment dey cost a lot".

Crowdfunding campaign for her raise nearly 700,000 dollars (£523,797).

We see more videos of sick children from around di world on YouTube, all of dem resemble each oda - good production and all raise big amounts of money. All of dem show say di mata dey urgent and dem use emotional language.

We decide to investigate further.

Di campaigns wit di biggest international reach under di name of one organization Chance Letikva (Chance for Hope, in English). Dem register am for Israel and US.

To identify di children dey difficult. We use geolocation, social media and facial recognition software to find dia families. Some base as far as Colombia and di Philippines.

Wen we try to know weda di campaign website cash total dey genuine, we donate small amounts to two of dem and di total increase by dose amounts.

We also tok to somebody wey say she donate 180 dollars (£135) to Alexandra campaign and dem begin dey demand for more from her like say na Alexandra and her papa dey write di request.

For Philippines, Aljin Tabasa tell us say her son Khalil bin fall sick just after im seventh birthday.

"Wen we find out say na cancer, e be like di world don scata", na so she tok

Aljin say treatment for dia local hospital for Cebu city dey slow and she don message everybody she fit remember for help. One pesin connect her to one local businessman Rhoie Yncierto wey ask for video of Khalil. Now as she look back, she realise say dat one na di audition.

Anoda man arrive from Canada for December 2022 and introduce imself as Erez. E pay dem filming fee up front and promise to dey send dem 1500 dollars (£1,122) every month if di film generate plenti money.

Erez direct Khalil film for one local hospital - dey ask for retake after retake - di shoot take like 12 hours according to Aljin.

Months later, di family say dem never hear how di video perform. Aljin message Erez wey tell am say di film no dey successful.

"So me I understand am say di video no make any money" na so she tok.

But we tell am say di video raise about 27,000 USD (£20,204) as at November 2024) and e still dey online.

"If to say I know say dem raise dat kain money, may be Khalil fit still dey here wit us. I no understand how dem fit do dis to us" na so Aljin tok.

Wen we ask am im role for di filming, Rhoie Yncierto deny say im tell di children to shave dia heads for filming and say im no receive payment for recruiting families.

E say im no get control over wetin dey hapun to di funds and im no get contact wit di families after di filming. Wen we tell am say di families no receive di funds from di campaign donations, e say im dey "confused" and "dey very sorry for di families".

Nobody wey dey answer Erez appear for registration documents for Chance Letikva. But our investigation reveal say anoda organization dem dey call Walls of Hope wey dey registered for Canada and Israel promote two of im campaign. Documents list say di director dey for Canada as Erez Hadari.

Photo of am online show am for Jewish religious event for Philippines, New York and Miami. We show Aljin, she confam say na di same pesin wey she meet.

Watch di full BBC Eye film 'The Child Cancer Scam' on BBC World Service YouTube

We ask Mr Hadari about im involvement for di campaign for Philippines. E no respond.

We visit more families wey dia campaign come from or dey linked to Mr Hadari, one for remote community for Colombia and anoda for Ukraine.

As wit Khalil case, local fixers bin come to offer help. Dem make di children to cry or do fake tears while filming and dem go collect small fee but no receive any further money.

For Sucre north west Colombia, Sergio Care say im initially reject di help. Na one Isabel approach am, dem offer am financial assistance after dem diagnose im eight years old daughter Ana of malignant brain tumor.

But Isabel come di hospital wey dey treat Ana, wit one man wey say im dey work for international NGO.

Di description Sergio give of di man match dat of Erez Hadari - im later recognise am for photo we show am.

"E give me hope… I no get money for di future".

Demands on family no end wit di filming.

Isabel continue dey ring Sergio dey demand for more pictures of Ana for hospital. Wen Sergio no respond, Isabel begin message Ana herself - we don listen to di voice notes.

Ana tell Isabel say she no get more fotos to send. Isabel reply say "dis dey very bad Ana, very bad indeed".

For January dis year, Ana herself, after she don fully recover try to find out wetin hapun to di money dem promise am.

"Dat foundation disappear," Isabel tell Ana for voice note say "dem no upload your video, never. Dem no use am do anytin, you hear?"

But we find out say dem upload di video and by April 2024, e don raise 250,000 dollars (£187,070).

For October, we try to make Isabel Hernandez to tok to us about di video link.

She say a friend from Israel bin introduce am to somebody wey offer am work for one foundation wey dey help children wey get cancer. She refuse to name who she dey work for.

Dem tell am say only one of di campaigns she help organise dey published, say e no dey successful.

We show am say dem upload two of di campaign - say e gather up to 700,000 dollars (£523,797).

"I go need to apologise to di families, if to say I know wetin dey go on, I for no do something like dis".

For Ukraine, we find out say na for wia dem film di campaign video dem employ di pesin wey approach di mother of one sick child.

Tetiana Khaliavka organise shoot wit five years old Viktoriia wey get brain cancer for Angelholm Clinic for Chernivtsi.

One Facebook post wey link to di Chance Letikva campaign show Viktoriia and her mama Olena Firsova as dem sidon for bed. Wetin dem write dia say, "I dey see your efforts to save my daughter and e dey move us deeply. Na race against time to raise di amount wey dem need to treat Victoria".

Olena say she no write or say those words and no get idea say dem don upload dat campaign.

Di campaign raise like 280,000 dollars (£244,000).

Dem tell us say Tetiana dey in charge of advertising and communications for Angelholm.

Di clinic recently tell BBC say dem no approve filming for dia premises, dem add say di clinic no support any fundraising initiative wey any organization organise.

Angelholm say dem don terminate di employment of Tetiana Khaliavka.

Olena show us di contract dem ask am to sign.

In addition to di filming fee of 1500 dollars (£1,122) wey di family receive on di day, dem suppose receive anoda 8000 dollars (£5,986) if di campaign meet di fundraising goal, but dem no write di amount for di goal.

Di contract show Chance Letikva address for New York. For dia website, dem get anoda address for Beit Shemesh wey be about one hour from Jerusalem. We travel go di two places but we no find any sign of dem dia.

We find out say Chance Letikva na just one of such organizations.

Di man wey film Viktoriia campaign tell our producer - who dey pose as friend to sick child - say im dey work for oda similar organizations.

"About one dozen similar companies dey request materials" na so e tok. E name two of dem Saint Teresa and Little Angels both dey registered for US.

Wen we check dia registration documents we again see di name Erez Hadari name.

Wetin no dey clear na wia di money dem raise for di kids go.

More dan a year after dem do Viktoriia film, her mama Olena call Oleh wey dey use Alex Kohen as online name to ask am how far. In no take time, pesin from Chance Letikva call to say dem use di money for donation to pay for advertising.

Dis na same tin Mr Hadari tell Aljin, Kalil mama wen she confront am over di phone.

"Advertising get cost, so di company lose money", na wetin e tell her but no show am any evidence.

Charity experts tell us say advertising no suppose chop up to 20 percent of di money dem raise for di campaign.

One pesin wey bin dey work to recruit children for Chance Letikva campaigns explain how di features dey work.

"Dem dey always look for beautiful children wit white skin. Di child gas be from three to nine years old. Dem suppose know how to speak well. Dem no suppose get hair" e tok.

"Dem ask me for photos, to see if di child dey right and I go send am to Erez.

Di whistleblower tell us say Mr Hadari go den send di photos to someone for Israel but dem no tell anybody di pesin name.

As for Mr Hadari, we try to reach am for two addresses for Canada but no fit find am, e reply one voice note we send am, wia we ask am about di money im dey raise through crowdfunding, e say di organization no dey active since, but e no tok which one. E no respond to further voice notes and letter wey lay out oda questions and allegations.

Campaigns wey Chance Letikva set up for two children wey don die still dey accept money. Dem be campaign for Khalil and Hector wey from Mexico.

Chance Letikva US branch be like e dey linked to one new organization dem dey call Saint Raphael wey don produce more campaigns - like two wey dem film for Angelholm Clinic for Ukraine, as e show di wood paneling of di clinic and dia staff uniform.

Olena, Viktoriia mama say her daughter don dey diagnosed of a brain tumor. She say di findings of our investigation dey make am sick.

"Wen your child life dey hang and pesin dey out dia dey make money from am. Well e dey filty, na blood money."

BBC contact Tetiana Khaliavka and Alex Kohen and di organizations - Chance Letikva, Walls of Hope, Saint Raphael, Little Angels and Saint Teresa to invite dem to respond to di allegations against dem. None of dem reply.

Di Israeli Corporations Authority wey dey supervise di kontri non profit organizations tell us say if dem get evidence say founders dey use entities as cover for illegal activity, dem go deny dem registration and di founder fit dey barred from working for di sector.

UK regulator, Charity Commission advise pipo wey wan give to charity to verify which of dem dey registered and dem fit contact di appropriate fundraising regulator if dem get doubts.
















Ana and her dad live in a remote indigenous community for Colombia




Olena with her daughter Viktoriia, wey dem don recently diagnose wit anoda brain tumour