Pennsylvania woman lied about having cancer to defraud family and friends of thousands of dollars to fund trip to Australia

A Pennsylvania woman accused of pretending to have terminal brain cancer to collect thousands of dollars from friends, family and supporters is now wanted by the FBI, years after she was charged in a fraud scheme.Vanessa O’Rourke, 37, is accused of falsely claiming she had glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, and using the story to raise money through donations and fundraising.According to the FBI, O’Rourke told friends and family in 2015 that she had been diagnosed with the disease and needed to travel to Australia for experimental treatment. Investigators called those claims false.O’Rourke, then a 28-year-old brain surgery student at Temple Med, received $11,740 in donations from more than 140 people between October 2015 and July 2016.“Through her false and fraudulent conduct, her family and others provided money and support,” the FBI said in a statement.O’Rourke traveled to Australia in April 2016 but did not receive any treatment. Instead, she spends her time participating in leisure activities. Returning home to Harleysville, near Philadelphia, O’Rourke convinced her family to continue raising money on her behalf. Relatives organized a fundraising page and even held a benefit at a local restaurant where attendees paid $20 to attend. Some of the money raised was later used to fund another trip to Australia in 2016.The case ultimately led to O’Rourke being charged in Pennsylvania state court in May 2018 with 15 counts of wire fraud. An international arrest warrant was subsequently issued, but investigators have so far been unable to locate her.Authorities believe she may be living in Queensland, Australia. The FBI is renewing its appeal for information as efforts to find O’Rourke continue.