Fake Nanny Who Deceived Kildare Family: New Doc Shows How Online Sleuths Caught Samantha Cookes

Monday, 12 May 2025 10:31

By Martin Osborne

The first part of the documentary will explore how Cookes built up to her role as a “nanny”, gaining the trust of families before betraying them.

A serial fraudster who falsely claimed she was terminally ill to receive more than €60,000 in welfare payments will be the subject of a two-part documentary due to air tonight.

Samantha Cookes (36) posed as an au pair in Kildare and accused a Celbridge family of owing her thousands of euros in unpaid wages.

She used multiple fake personas to deceive people.

In March this year, she was sentenced to four years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended.

The first part of the documentary will explore how Cookes built up to her role as a “nanny”, gaining the trust of families before betraying them.

The second part of the documentary turns the spotlight on vulnerable families targeted by Cookes.

With the help of TikTok sleuths and first-time interviews with those closest to her story, it will show how a group of women turned detective to expose the truth, ultimately leading to Samantha's downfall and conviction this year.

In 2011, Cookes scammed an English couple by pretending to be their surrogate, taking £5,000 before they discovered there was no pregnancy.

‘Bad Nanny’, directed by Alan Bradley, debuts tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One.

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