Eldridge, Iowa - TikTok influencer Madison "Maddie" Russo has been arrested for allegedly scamming hundreds of GoFundMe donors who believed she was battling cancer.

The 19-year-old frequently posted updates on TikTok about her health battle, but as it turns out, she may not have been telling the truth.

Russo was reportedly arrested on January 23 while she was in class at St. Ambrose University. She faces a charge of theft by means of deception, punishable in the state of Iowa with up to 10 years in prison.

Police say she allegedly raised $37,303 from 439 unsuspecting donors through a GoFundMe account she created, where she led them to believe she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with "a tumor the size of a football that wrapped around her spine."

Russo claimed in a video that on February 10, 2022, a day she described as "quite possibly the worst day of my life," she received a call from her oncologist informing her that she had stage two pancreatic cancer.

"When your life changes in an instant, and many days are spent vomiting, in pain, and being restricted in what you can do, your mind also becomes sick," she explained in the clip.

She allegedly continued the ruse by giving public speeches about her condition, and even sharing her story with local newspaper The North Scott Press, claiming she faced an "11% survival rate for five years."

But on January 11, anonymous witnesses who claimed to be medical professionals tipped law enforcement off on "terrible life-threatening inaccuracies of her medical equipment placement on her body" in some of the photos she shared on social media, sparking an investigation that would ruin her.

Upon her arrest, police have claimed that Russo shot many of the photos shared on social media in her apartment instead of in hospital rooms, as she led other users to believe.

Some photos were even found to be taken from the pages of actual cancer patients, which she presented as her own.

A subpoena submitted by investigators for her medical records "showed that Madison had never been diagnosed with any kind of cancer or tumor from any medical facilities within the Quad Cities or surrounding cities."

According to local news outlet KWQC, court records listed items possibly related to the case that were seized at Russo's home, including medical supplies, an IV pole with a feeding pump, a wig, and nausea pills under the name of a relative.

Records also reveal that she was bailed out of jail by Thomas Bouland, who allegedly created the GoFundMe campaign, though it's unclear how they are connected.

Fortunately for the unsuspecting donors, GoFundMe has been actively working to refund all victims of Russo's deceit, which includes businesses, cancer foundations, and school districts as well as individuals.

Madison Russo is scheduled to appear in court on March 2 for her arraignment.